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COLONEL  WILLLA.M  FREDERIC  CODY 
(* 'BUFFALO  BILL") 


"CHIEF  OF   SCOUTS" 

Photograph  of  Buffalo  Bill  in  his  uniform  as  *' Chief  of 
Scouts"  of  the  United  States  Army,  a  position  created  for  him 
and  never  conferred  upon  any  other  man.  It  is  easy  to  trace 
in  his  countenance  the  traits  indicative  of  his  noble  character. 


MEMORIAL  EDITION 


Buffalo  Bars  Own  Story 

OF 

His  Life  and  Deeds 


This  Autobiography  tells  in  His  Own  Graphic 

Words  the  Wonderful  Story  of  his 

Heroic  Career 


His  Story  shows  his  Devotion  to  Duty  as  a  Child  when  Supporting  his  Widowed 

Mother,  His  Valuable  Services  to  the  Government  while  riding  in  the  Famous 

"Pony  Express'*  and  Vividly  Portrays  his  Thrilling  Experiences  as  Hunter 

and  Scout  while  acting  as  Guide  to  the  Army  and  Trains  of  Prairie 

Schooners — His  many  Hair-breadth  Escapes  in  his  Fights  with 

Indians,  Desperadoes  and  while  Hunting  Buffalo  and  other 

Wild  Animals,    as  well    as  his  Later  Triumphs  in 

Conducting  the  Tours  of  his  Great  Wild   West 

Exhibition  in  the  United  States  and  Europe 


His  Autobiography  is  brought  up  to  date  includ- 
ing a  full  account  of  his  Death  and  Burial 

Written  by  his  Boy-hood  Chum  and  Life-long  Friend, 

WILLIAM  LIGHTFOOT  VISSCHER,  LL.  B 

Historian  end  Poet 

Author  of  "The  Pony  Express,'*  ••Away  Out  Yonder," 

••A  Knight  of  the  West*',  etc.,  etc. 


The  whole  comprising  an  Authentic  History  of  many 
Incidents  inseparably  interwoven  with  the   Explor- 
ation,  Settlement  and  Development  of  the 
Great  Western   Plains. 


Illustrated  with  Rare  Engravings  and  Photographs 


Copyright  1917  by 
JOHN  R.  STANTON 


TO  THE  AMERICAN  AND  ENGLISH  PUBLICS,  AT  WHOSE  GENEROUS  HANDS 
HAVE  RECEIVED  SO  MANY   FAVORS,  HOSPITABLE  ATTENTION 
AND  NUMEROUS  SPECIAL  KINDNESSES  ; 

AND 

TO  THE  ARMY  OF  THE  FRONTIER,  THE  BRAVE  COMRADES  AND  PIONEERS 

WHOSE  VALOROUS  DEEDS,  THOUGH  UNWRITTEN  IN  THEIR  COUNTRY'S 

ANNALS,   AND    WHOSE   GRAVES '  ARE   UNMARKED    SAVE   BY    THE 

SOUGHING  OAK  OR   THE   MODEST  DAISY,  BUT   WHO  HAVE 

LEFT  THE  HERITAGE  OF  A   MILLION   HAPPY  AND 

PROSPEROUS  HOMES  IN  THE  REDEEMED  WEST, 

THIS  BOOK 


IS  INSCRIBED,  BY  ONE  WHO  HOLDS  THEIR  COURAGEOUS  LIVES  IN  GRATEFUL 

REMEMBRANCE. 


W.  F.  CODY  (BuFPAi^  Bill). 


m 


THE  GREAT  SCOUT 


By  F.  P.  Livingston 


Across  the  rolling,  trackless  plains 

I  see  a  vision  as  of  old. 
Aye,  like  a  knight  in  armor  girt, 

As  noble,  free  and  quite  as  hold; 
His  flowing  locks  and  massive  brow 

Proclaimed    the    gallant   life    he 


While  toiling  to  prepare  the  way 
For  those  who  built  an  empire  vast. 
They  called  him  Bill — 
Just  Buffalo  Bill. 

What  were  the  thoughts  that  filled 
his  brain 
While  waiting  for  the  final  call? 
Methinks  he  saw  the  Wood-stained 
trail, 
The  rifles  flash,  the  red  man's  fall. 
The  war-whoop  and  the  massacre. 
Ah,  God!     His  life  was  one  great 
fight 
To  master  man  and  elements. 
To  force  the  erring  mortal  right. 
They  called  him  Bill- 
Just  Buffalo  Bill. 


He  loved  the  fellowship  of  man. 
But  on  the  veldt  his  fame  was 
earned; 
On  silent  plain,  on  lonesome  trail 
Where  drifting  sand  in  summer 
burned, 
And  winter  chilled  unto  the  bone. 

By  night,  by  day,  he  saw  the  star 
That  lifted  him  beyond  his  peers; 
That  made  him  first  in  peace  or 
war. 

They  called  him  Bill- 
Just  Buffalo  Bill. 

The  last  of  all  the  famous  scouts 
That  blazed  the  way  across  the 
sand, 
He  led  the  van  thru  lands  unknown. 
Where  now  a  hundred  cities  stand. 
His  princely  mien,  his  kindly  deeds, 
Will  long  resound  from  hearth  to 
hearth. 
Strange  tales  they'll  tell  by  fireside 
Of  mighty  deeds  and  of  his  worth. 
They  called  him  Bill- 
Just  Buffalo  Bill. 


INTRODUCTION 

While  writing  principally  autobiographically,  I  have  sought  to 
describe  that  great  general  movement  westward — ^that  irresistible 
wave  of  emigration  which,  arrested  for  a  time  by  the  Alleghenies, 
rose  until  at  last  it  broke  over  and  spread  away  across  mountain, 
stream  and  plain,  leaving  States  in  its  wake,  until  stopped  by  the 
shores  of  the  Pacific. 

The  evolution  of  government  and  of  civilization,  and  the  adapta- 
tion of  one  to  the  other,  are  interesting  to  the  student  of  history; 
but  particularly  fascinating  is  the  story  of  the  reclamation  of  the 
Great  West  and  the  supplanting  of  the  wild  savages  that  from 
primeval  days  were  lords  of  the  country  but  are  now  become  wards 
of  the  Government,  whose  guardianship  they  were  forced  to  recog- 
nize. This  story  is  one  well  calculated  to  inspire  a  feeling  of  pride 
even  in  the  breasts  of  those  whose  sentimentality  impels  to  com- 
miserate the  hard  lot  of  the  poor  Indian;  for,  rising  above  the 
formerly  neglected  prairies  of  the  West  are  innumerable  monu- 
ments of  thrift,  industry,  intelligence,  and  all  the  contributory 
comforts  and  luxuries  of  a  peaceful  and  God-fearing  civilization; 
those  evidences  that  proclaim  to  a  wondering  world  the  march  of 
the  Anglo-Saxon  race  towards  the  attainment  of  perfect  citizenship 
and  liberal,  free  and  stable  government. 

For  the  small  part  I  have  taken  in  redeeming  the  West  from 
savagery,  I  am  indebted  to  circumstances  rather  than  to  a  natural, 
inborn  inclination  for  the  strifes  inseparable  from  the  life  I  was 
almost  forced  to  choose.  But  to  especially  good  fortune  must  I  make 
my  acknowledgments,  which  protected  me  or  preserved  my  life  a 
hundred  times  when  the  very  hand  of  vengeful  fate  appeared  to 
lower  its  grasp  above  my  head,  and  hope  seemed  a  mockery  that  I 
had  turned  my  back  upon.    Good  fortune  has  also  stood  ever  respon- 


VI 


INTRODUCTION. 


sive  to  my  call  since  I  first  came  before  the  public,  and  to  the 
generous  American  and  English  peoples,  as  well  as  to  kind  fortune, 
I  here  pour  out  a  full  measure  of  profound  thanks  and  hearty 
appreciation,  and  shall  hold  them  gratefully  in  my  memory  as  a 
remembrance  of  old  friends,  until  the  drum  taps  ''lights  out" 
at  the  close  of  the  evening  of  my  eventful  life. 


PREFACE 

There  are  tears,  and  sighs,  and  tender  words  today  for  the  strong, 
brave  man,  Colonel  Cody. 

The  Indians,  who  had  been  his  foes  and  then  became  his  loving 
friends,  called  him,  in  their  child-of-nature  way,  affectionately 
"Pahaska" — man  of  long  hair. 

To  the  white  men  of  his  comradeship,  he  was  ** Buffalo  Bill,"  and 
he  has  gone  Over  the  Divide. 

To  the  Indians,  **Pahaska''  has  gone  to  the  Happy  Hunting 
Grounds. 

To  the  boys  and  girls  of  America  and  Europe,  Colonel  Cody,  **  Buf- 
falo Bill, "  *  *  Pahaska, ' '  has  gone  up  yonder  where  the  light  of  heaven 
shines  through  the  stars. 

This  is  why  there  are  tears,  and  sighs,  and  tender  words  today  for 
the  strong,  brave  man. 

Pahaska 's  going  away  left  a  deep  sorrow  in  the  hearts  of  millions 
of  people.  Even  the  Indians  loved  him  and  grieve  because  he  has 
gone,  and  yet  Pahaska  was  one  of  the  greatest  Indian  fighters.  He 
only  fought  them  when  they  were  doing  wrong,  and  they  knew  that. 
At  other  times  he  did  much  to  show  them  how  to  keep  in  the  right 
and  often  when  they  had  troubles  among  themselves  or  with  the  white 
people,  the  Indians  would  send  for  Pahaska — ^Buffalo  Bill — ^to  help 
them  to  settle  the  troubles  among  themselves  by  coming  to  them  and 
'* arbitrating"  for  them,  or  in  sometimes  going  to  Washington  City 
to  talk  to  the  Great  White  Father  for  them. 

Today  they  are  mourning  far  more  for  Pahaska  than  they  would 
for  even  a  great  chieftain,  because  Pahaska  knew  better  how  to  help 
them,  and  did  it. 

All  over  the  civilized  world  white  people,  especially  boys  and  girls, 
are  mourning  because  Buffalo  Bill  has  passed  away. 

Every  boy  and  girl  in  America  and  all  of  Europe  should  know 
whatever  they  can  about  the  famous  scout  and  pioneer,  "Buffalo 


Vm  PREFACE. 

Bill, ' '  whose  real  name  was  William  Frederic  Cody.  He  was  a  true- 
hearted  man  who  loved  all  children,  and  nearly  everybody  else.  He 
delighted  to  have  children  about  him ;  strong,  healthy  boys  and  girls, 
and  he  often  sent  carriages  and  automobiles  to  orphan  asylums  and 
to  the  asylums  for  crippled  children  and  had  them  brought  by  hun- 
dreds to  enjoy  his  show.  He  spent  the  best  part  of  his  young  man- 
hood to  make  homes  for  boys  and  girls  as  well  as  grown  folks,  by 
doing  all  that  he  could  to  open  up  a  vast  wilderness  where  they  could 
have  gardens,  and  orchards,  and  parks  to  play  and  dance  and  skate 
in,  and  where  they  could  have  schools,  churches  and  theaters,  with 
all  the  good  that  these  bring  to  boys  and  girls  for  life. 

'* Buffalo  Bill"  risked  his  life  thousands  of  times  and  suffered 
years  of  hardship  and  danger  to  make  the  great  Wild  West  of 
America  the  land  of  homes  that  much  of  it  is  now.  When  he  began 
this  work  he  was  but  a  boy  himself.  At  that  time  there  was  on  the 
map  of  the  United  States  in  every  schoolboy's  geography  a  big  white 
spot  on  the  left  side,  between  the  Missouri  River  and  Pacific  Ocean, 
that  was  named  * '  The  Great  American  Desert. ' '  It  was  a  vast  stretch 
of  plains,  in  some  places  bare  and  arid,  in  other  places  covered  with 
a  growth  called  Buffalo  Grass.  Over  this  wilderness  roamed  mighty 
herds  of  buffalo  and  other  wild  animals,  and  the  savage  Indians,  who 
mostly  lived  upon  the  flesh  of  these  animals. 

Buffalo  Bill  and  his  associates,  pioneers,  plainsmen,  scouts  and 
guides,  spent  many  years  in  driving  away  the  savages  and  leading 
civilized  people  to  this  land  that  has  been  made  to  bloom  with  gar- 
dens, fields  and  orchards,  where  are  the  homes  of  millions  of  happy 
people. 

Buffalo  Bill  wrote  his  own  story  in  this  book  up  to  a  certain  period 
of  his  life,  and  to  that  has  been  added,  by  one  who  knew  and  loved 
him  for  fifty  years,  the  further  interesting  history  of  the  big-hearted, 
warm-souled,  brave  and  daring,  but  kindly  man,  who,  from  an  uned- 
ucated boy  on  the  far  western  plains,  became  the  friend  and  associate 
of  sovereigns  and  rulers  of  nations,  governors  of  states,  writers  of 
books,  captains  of  industry  and  leaders  of  civilization  in  all  that 
exalts  and  embellishes  enlightened  life. 

At  the  time  when  the  Kansas  Pacific  Road  was  being  constructed 


PREFACE.  IX 

from  Kansas  City  to  Denver,  I  was  engaged  as  "the  staff"  on  the 
Kansas  City  Journal  of  Commerce  (afterwards  the  Journal). 

During  this  period  I  frequently  went  out  upon  the  construction  of 
the  Kansas  Pacific  Railroad  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  *' stories" 
for  our  paper.  Colonel  William  Frederick  Cody — then  called  Will 
Cody — had  been  engaged  by  the  contractors  to  supply  buffalo  meat 
to  feed  the  graders.  Thus  I  often  met  Cody,  who,  by  this  employ- 
ment, gained  the  pseudonym  of  "Buffalo  Bill." 

During  the  many  years  following  my  association  with  Colonel 
Cody  on  the  plains,  he  and  I  were  intimate  and  devoted  friends,  and 
I  would  like  to  record  here  my  deep  sorrow  at  his  taking  off,  which 
seems  untimely  to  me  for  the  reason  that  I  am  more  than  three  years 
his  elder. 

In  all  the  years  that  followed,  I  frequently  met  Colonel  Cody,  and 
particularly  during  his  engagement  at  the  World 's  Columbian  Expo- 
sition in  Chicago  in  1893.  Often  when  he  was  with  The  Wild  West 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Chicago,  he  would  telegraph  me  to  join  him 
and  be  his  guest.  Notably  was  this  the  case  at  the  time  of  his  engage- 
ment at  Buffalo  during  the  Panama- American  Exposition,  where  I 
remained  almost  constantly  in  his  company,  and  afterwards  at  the 
Trans-Mississippi  Exposition  at  Omaha,  of  which  I  speak  more  in 
detail  in  the  following  pages. 

There  are  some  persons  of  the  generation  just  grown  into  manhood 
who  naturally  enough  did  not  comprehend  the  character  of  William 
Frederick  Cody.  In  their  generations  he  was  known  to  them  only 
as  a  showman.  It  was  impossible  for  them  to  even  understand  and 
appreciate  to  the  fullest  extent  the  powerful  object  lesson  which  he 
was  then  bearing  to  them  in  The  Wild  West  Exposition.  For  this 
they  are  not  to  be  blamed.    His  greatest  days  were  before  their  days. 

The  fact  is  that  from  a  boy  brought  up  on  the  plains  of  the  far 
west,  without  the  advantages  of  academic  education,  he  became,  from 
a  messenger  between  wagon  trains  on  the  route  from  the  Missouri 
River  to  Pike's  Peak,  the  close  friend  and  intimate  of  men  of  the 
better  class  all  the  way  from  simple,  everyday  manhood  to  the  most 
exalted  sovereigns  and  rulers  of  earth's  nations. 

He  was  one  of  the  pony  express  riders  who  carried  the  mails  on 


X  PREFACE. 

horseback  from  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  to  Sacramento,  Cal.,  and  whose  trail 
was  afterward  followed  by  the  Union  Pacific  and  Central  Pacific 
railroads,  every  mile  of  the  distance  between  the  two  cities  named, 
except  the  short  distance  between  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  and  Kearney, 
Neb.,  and  Omaha  and  Kearney,  the  road  taking  that  latter  route 
because  of  a  peculiar  incident  that  occurred  during  the  intervening 
time. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  president  of  the  United  States,  and  among  his 
prerogatives  was  that  of  naming  the  point  from  which  the  trans- 
continental road  should  start  westward.  In  St.  Joseph  one  day  some 
young  men  whose  political  proclivities  in  the  war  time  were  more 
intense  than  their  judgment  was  good,  climbed  to  the  postoffice  in 
that  city  and  tore  down  and  destroyed  the  American  flag.  This 
angered  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his  cabinet  to  the  extent  that  when  the 
railroad  was  to  be  started,  Omaha  was  named  as  the  initial  point,  and 
this  did  much  toward  the  building  of  Omaha. 

As  is  shown  plentifully  throughout  this  book,  *' Buffalo  Bill" 
served  his  country  as  a  soldier ;  his  services  as  one  of  the  most  notable 
of  scouts  was  demanded  by  the  best  Indian  fighters  of  the  West,  and 
he  became  the  ** Chief  Scout"  of  the  American  Army. 

After  all  of  his  valuable  services  as  soldier,  scout,  guide,  he 
gathered  whatever  evidences  he  could  of  the  wild  life  of  the  West 
and  presented  it  forty  years  for  the  education  of  three  generations  of 
Americans  and  Europeans  as  the  greatest  object  lesson  in  ethnology 
that  has  ever  been  seen  in  the  world. 

That  such  a  man's  life  history  should  be  demanded  is  the  belief  of 
the  publishers  of  this  book,  and  to  help  the  boys  and  girls  of  the 
world,  as  well  as  the  grown-ups,  to  know  all  the  truth  about  this 
mighty  man,  now  so  deeply  mourned,  the  book  is  published. 
Respectfully  yours, 

William  Lightpoot  Visscher. 

Chicago,  January  25,  1917. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL 

CHAPTER  I. 

Incidents  of  My  Childhood — Iowa  in  the  Early  Days — Removed  to  Kansas 
— Boyhood  Experiences  in  Kansas — A  Barbecue  to  the  Indians — The  Tide  of 
Immigration — Warfare  on  the  Border — The  Stabbing  of  My  Father — Father 's 
Escape  from  a  Mob — Renewed  Efforts  to  Kill  Father — Efforts  to  Make  Kan- 
sas a  Slave  State — My  Engagement  with  the  Great  Overland  Freighters — A 
Mob  Outwitted  by  My  Mother — Another  Attempt  on  Father  'a  Life 15-34 

CHAPTER  IL 

My  First  Love  Affair — A  Bloody  Affray  at  School — Pursued  by  the 
Wounded  Boy 's  Father — In  Service  on  the  Plains — My  First  Fight  with  Indi- 
ans— How  I  Killed  My  First  Indian — A  Feeling  of  Relief — On  the  Road  to 
Salt  Lake — Description  of  a  Bull  Outfit — The  Trail — A  Buffalo  Stampede — 
Captured  by  Danites — Burning  of  the  Train  by  Mormons — On  the  Point  of 
Starvation — Attacked  by  Indians — A  Timely  Rescue — Engage  in  Trapping — 
A  Horrible  Discovery — Off  for  Pike's  Peak — ^Engagement  as  Pony  Exprestj 
Rider 35-62 

CHAPTER  IIL 

Accidents  and  Escapes — Trapping  on  the  Republican — I  Break  My  Leg — 

My  Partner  Goes  in  Search  of  Help — A  Desperate  Situation — Objectionable 

Company — Indians  Take  Possession  of  My  Dug-out — Return  of  Harrington — 

A  Joyous  Meeting — Our  Return  Home — Death  of  Brave  Harrington 63-70 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Adventures  on  the  Overland  Road — A  Pony  Express  Rider  Again — Pursued 
by  Indians — Attack  on  a  Stage  Coach — A  Charge  through  the  Indian  Camp — 
A  General  Drunk  but  Only  One  Murder — A  Hunt  for  Bear — A  Robber 's  Haunt 
Discovered — In  a  Tight  Place — Killing  One  of  the  Robbers — My  Escape — A 
Newly-Made  Brave 71-83 

CHAPTER  V. 

An  Inglorious  Service — Bushwhacking  in  Missouri — A  Meeting  with  Wild 
Bill — ^Busted  at  a  Horse-race — A  Duel  in  the  Street 84-87 

CHAPTER  VL 
How  I  Became  a  Soldier — With  the  Jayhawkers — A  Singular  Meeting  with 
Wild  Bill — Acting  as   a   Spy — A   Pleasant   Little   Episode — A   Wonderful 
Escape  88-94 

CHAPTER  VIL 

Courtship  and  Marriage — My  Bridal  Trip— -Taken  for  a  Desperado — A 
Party  of  Our  Own — A  Close  Call — Keeping  an  Hotel — Acting  as  a  Guide  to 
Custer — A  Fight  with  the  Indians — A  Cholera  Outbreak 95-103 

CHAPTER  Vin. 
A  Millionaire  in  Prospective — A  Howl  from  Rome — A  Gentleman  that  Just 
Dropped  in — Contractor  on  the  K.  P.  R.  R. — A  Little  Sport  with  the  Hostiles 
— Brigham  to  the  Front — A  Pretty  Buffalo  Drive — A  Big  Surprise  for  the 

xi 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

Officers — In  Pursuit  of  Indians — An  Excited  Colored  Gentleman — How  I  Re- 
ceived the  Title  "Buffalo  Bill"— A  Race  for  My  Scalp— A  Great  Shot- 
Sauce  for  the  Gander — Run  to  Cover  by  Indians — Sending  up  a  Signal  for 
Help  104-120 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Champion  Buffalo  Killer — A  Match  with  Comstock — A  Dash  into  the  Herd 

— An  Exhibition  for  the  Ladies — Riding  a  Naked  Horse  into  the  Herd — 

Tragic  Death  of  Comstock — Brigham  and  I  Part   Company — ^A  Trick  of 

Brigham  's 121-128 

CHAPTER  X. 
Acting  as  Special  Scout — Captured  by  Indians — A  Clever  Ruse  Secures  My 
Escape— Stretching  My  Mule — Ambushing  the  Pursuers — Chief  Satanta 
Threatens  the  Post — Going  on  the  War-Path — Dispatch  Bearer — Off  in  the 
Dark — Stumbling  onto  a  Hornet's  Nest — An  Interview  with  Sheridan — A 
Long  Ride — A  Dangerous  Undertaking — A  Provoking  Mule — Getting  Satis- 
faction  129-147 

CHAPTER  XL 
My  Appointment  as  Chief  of  Scouts — Running  into  a  Band  of  Indians — 
Bringing  Live  Buffaloes  into  Camp — A  Scared  Irishman-^A  Lively  Shaking 
Up — In  Search  of  Indians — A  Crack  Shot — On  the  Trail — Out  in  a  Dry  Coun- 
try— Surprised  by  Indians 148-159 

CHAPTER  XII. 
A  Hard  Winter's  Campaign — A  Rough  March — Making  a  Break  Down  a 
Canyon — A  Turkey  Hunt  with  Clubs — Rescue  of  a  Starving  Command — Inter- 
cepting a  Beer  Train — A  Free  Fight  among  the  Scouts 160-167 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Accused  of  Selling  Government  Horses — Arrested  and  Thrown  into  the 
Guard  House — Captured  by  the  Colored  Troops — Dispute  over  a  Telegram — 
In  Pursuit  of  Horse  Thieves — The  Thieves  Run  Down — Escape  and  Wonderful 
Flight  of  a  Thief — An  Extraordinary  Run  for  Liberty — A  Successful  Break 
in  the  Dark — ^Breaking  up  the  Gang 168-180 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  Military  Expedition — Mixed  on  the  Expenditures — A  Big  Indian  Trail — 

Attack  on  the  Courier — A  Lieutenant  in  Sharp  Quarters — Driving  the  Enemy 

before  Us — Re-enforced  by  Pawnee  Scouts — A  Comical  Sight — Battle  between 

Sioux  and  Pawnees — Buckskin  Joe — The  Indians  Think  Better  of  Me.  .181-194 

CHAPTER  XV. 

A  Desperate  Fight — A  Charge  through  the  Indian  Village — Corraled  by 

Indians — Killing  of  the  Chief,  Tall  Bull — Meeting  with  Ned  Buntline — Horse 

Racing  in  the  Hostile  Country — The  Trick  of  Powder-Face — An  Interesting 

Indian  Tradition 195-207 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Some  Pleasing  Novelties — In  Pursuit  of  Indian  Horse  Thieves — Two  Indi- 
ans Bagged  at  a  Single  Shot — A  Tough  Officer — Pawnee  Indians  on  Guard 
Duty — A  Red  Hot  Situation — Appointed  Justice  of  the  Peace — A  Peculiar 
Writ  of  Replevin — Performing  a  Marriage  Ceremony — A  Run  for  Our 
Lives 208-221 

CHAPTER  XVIL 
Entertaining  a  Distinguished  Party — Putting  on  a  Little  Style  for  the  Occa- 
sion— An  Attack  on  the  Buffaloes — An  Accident  to  Leonard  Jerome — Charged 
with  a  Heinous  Offense — Still  Pursuing  the  Enemy — Camp-fire  Chats — A  Lit- 


CONTENTS.  .  Xlll 

tie  Joke  on  McCarthy — Eemains  of  the  Murdered  Buck  Party — Hunting  with 
Grand  Duke  Alexis— A  Visit  to  Spotted  Tail— They  Wanted  to  Lift  My  Hair 
— Giving  Duke  Alexis  the  Cue — Killing  His  First  Buffalo — Giving  the  Duke  a 
Shaking  Up— Some  Presents  from  the  Duke 222-242 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Scouting  in  a  Swallow-tail  Outfit — A  Great  Trip  East — Banqueted  at  Chi- 
cago— A  Guest  of  the  Union  Club,  New  York — A  Masquerade  Ball — A  Fellow 
that  Looked  Like  Me — My  Embarrassment  at  the  Theatre — My  First  Appear- 
ance on  the  Stage — Return  to  the  West * 243-249 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Again  on  the  Indian  Trail — A  Charge  on  the  Indians — A  Sharp  Fight — 
Wounded — Hunting  with  an  Earl — A  Party  that  Milligan  Refused  to  Attend 
— Roping  a  Buffalo^ — Elected  to  the  Legislature 250-257 

CHAPTER  XX. 
An  Actor — Studying  the  Parts — Now,  Here 's  a  How  D  'do—  Buntline  's  Ver- 
satility— The  Tide  Taken  at  the  Flood — A  Little  Funny  Business — Criticisms 
of  the  Press — Lively  Experience  of  Wild  Bill — A  Hunt  with  Mr.  Medley — 
Guide  to  the  Third  Cavalry — On  the  Road  Again — Death  of  My  Little 
Boy 258-271 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Scouting  with  the  Fifth  Cavalry — Indian  Depredations — Report  of  the 
Custer  Massacre — Causes  Leading  Thereto — Custer 's  Reports — Miners  in  the 
Black  Hills — Indians  Supplied  with  Ammunition  by  the  Government — War 
Declared  Against  the  Sioux — Movement  of  Troops — Crook  Attacked  by  Sit- 
ting Bull — Custer  Selected  to  Strike  the  Blow — Custer  Strikes  the  Indians — 
Hoping  Against  Hope — The  Massacre — After  the  Murderers  of  Custer — A 
Challenge — My  Duel  with  Yellow  Hand — A  Moment  of  Great  Danger — The 
First  Scalp  for  Custer — Again  in  Pursuit  of  the  Sioux — A  Little  Dust  Causes 
an  Excitement — Again  on  the  Trail 272-295 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
Dangerous  Work — Scouting  on  a  Steamboat — A  Ride  Through  the  Bad 
Lands — A  Terrible  Journey — Lying  Low — Return  to  the  Mimic  Stage — On  a 
Round-up — Putting  Real  Indians  on  the  Stage 296-306 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
An  Ambitious  Enterprise — Opening  of  the  Wild  West  Show — Nate  Salsbury 
Joins  Me  as  a  Partner — A  Sketch  of  Salsbury 's  Active  Life — A  Bigger  Show 
Put  on  the  Road — The  Show  Dumped  into  the  Mississippi — Our  Losses  in 
New  Orleans — A  Season  in  New  York — A  Hazardous  Undertaking — Seeking 
New  Worlds  to  Conquer — We  Sail  for  England — Immense  Excitement  Cre- 
ated in  London — Visit  of  Her  Majesty,  Queen  Victoria — Her  Majesty  Salutes 
the  American  Flag — A  Race  for  $2500 — An  Enthusiastic  Farewell — Sailing 
for  New  York — A  Pathetic  Incident  at  Sea — Reception  upon  Our  Arrival 
at  New  York — The  Joy  of  Stepping  upon  the  Soil  of  Dear  America  Again — 
Happy  Meeting  with  Friends 307-337 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
World's  Columbian  Exposition — Other  Visits  to  Europe — A  Knight  of  the 
West — Love  and  Devotion  to  His  Mother — Pahaska  Friend  of  the  Indians — 
Buffalo  Bill  Not  a  "  Cusser '  '—Death  and  Burial 338-352 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY 

OF 

BUFFALO    BILL 


CHAPTER    I. 

INCIDENTS  OP  MY  CHILDHOOD. 

I  have  written  about  other  scouts  and  pioneers;  such  renowned 
men  as  Daniel  Boone,  Davy  Crockett  and  Kit  Carson,  but  they  were 
dead  before  I  wrote  of  them.  Otherwise,  perhaps,  I  would  not  have 
had  the  hardihood  to  do  it,  because  I  had  great  respect  for  them  in  a 
general  way  and  their  capacity  for  '  *  getting  even. ' ' 

I  wrote  of  these  men  because  the  atmosphere  and  environment  in 
which  they  had  lived  were  peculiarly  pleasant  to  me.  There  was  a 
kinship,  so  to  speak,  in  their  love  of  the  lives  they  led,  with  my  own 
early  ambitions  and  the  experiences  that  followed. 

But  when  it  comes  to  writing  of  myself  I  am  staggered,  yet  to 
stagger  is  not  easy  with  me.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  all  things  con- 
sidered, I  am  a  modest  man,  and  I  can  prove  it.  Reminiscent  writing 
demands  one  kind  of  egotism,  but  that  does  not  signify  self-conceit. 
One  cannot  indulge  in  personal  reminiscence  without  frequent  use 
of  the  personal  pronoun,  hence  to  tell  the  story  here  demanded  of 
me  the  *' ego"  must  occur  often,  otherwise  the  story  could  not  be  told 
autobiographically. 

One  strong  and  almost  mandatory  reason  to  me,  and  self -excuse, 
for  doing  this  piece  of  work,  that  is  anything  but  enticing,  otherwise, 
is  to  tell  the  real  truth  concerning  my  experiences  rather  than  to 
have  go  into  history,  as  veracious,  much  of  the  romantic  and  dramatic 
stuff  that  has  been  attributed  to  me  by  persons  who  have  written  of 
** Buffalo  Bill'*  and  who  depended  upon  hearsay,  and  more  or  less 
vivid  imagination,  for  their  extravagant  consumption  of  good  ink 
and  paper  used  in  the  manner  mentioned. 

With  all  this  in  view,  commanding  as  it  does  the  leniency  that  it 
seeks,  the  story  is  herewith  given  so  far  as  I  am  able  to  give  it  from 
memory. 

IS 


16  8TOBY   OF  THE   WILD  WEST. 

I  made  my  debut  upon  the  stage  of  life  February  26th,  1845. 
The  scene  of  this  extremely  important  event,  to  me,  was  a  little 
log  cabin  situated  in  the  backwoods  of  Scott  County,  Iowa,  where 
opportunities  were  few  and  society  was  in  a  state  of  embryo,  as 
the  settling  up  of  that  State  was  just  then  beginning.  My 
father,  Isaac,  and  mother,  Mary  Ann,  were  honest  folks,  but 
their  possessions  comprehended  scarcely  anything  more  than 
good  characters  and  eight  children,  of  which  latter  I  was  fourth 
in  rank.  I  was  christened  William  Frederick,  which  name  I 
have  never  discarded,  though  more  than  once  in  my  life  I  would 
have  found  it  convenient,  and  decidedly  to  my  comfort,  to  be 
known,  for  the  time  being  at  least,  as  some  other  fellow. 

If  in  early  youth  I  was  different  from  other  boys  it  was  be- 
cause I  was  without  example  and  not  from  any  inherent  distin- 
guishing characteristics.  Playmates  I  had  none,  save  among  my 
brothers,  and  of  these  there  were  only  two,  one  of  whom  was  too 
young  to  appreciate  my  ambitions  and  the  other  too  old  to  in- 
dulge my  fancies.  Accordingly,  we  were  forced  to  the  rather 
unsatisfactory  compromise  of  each  brother  playing  by  himself,  a 
condition  very  harmful  in  the  raising  of  a  large  family. 

My  father  did  not  make  a  successful  farmer,  and  when  I  was 
&Ye  years  of  age  he  abandoned  the  log  cabin  of  my  nativity  and 
moved  the  family  to  a  little  village  fifteen  miles  north  of  Daven- 
port, on  the  Mississippi  Kiver,  named  LeClair.  A  year  before 
this  removal  he  became  so  seriously  affected  by  the  California 
fever  that  he  resolved  to  emigrate  to  that  exciting  climate  of 
gold,  flowers,  oranges,  sweet  odors  and  fighting  whisky.  A 
party  was  organized,  an  outfit  provided  and  a  start  was  made, 
but  after  proceeding  some  fifty  miles  on  the  way  they  all  thought 
it  best  to  change  their  former  determination  before  increasing 
the  distance  from  home,  and  carried  this  idea  so  far  and  success- 
fully that  every  one  in  the  party  returned  to  their  respective 
habitations. 

At  LeClair  I  was  sent  to  a  school  where,  by  diligence  and 
fairly  good  conduct  I  managed  to  familiarize  myself  with  the 
alphabet,  but  further  progress  was  arrested  by  a  suddenly  de- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  17 

veloped  love  for  skiff-riding  on  the  Mississippi,  which  occupied 
so  much  of  my  time  thereafter  that  really  I  found  no  convenient 
opportunity  for  further  attendance  at  school,  though  neither  my 
father  nor  mother  had  the  slightest  idea  of  my  new  found,  self- 
imposed,  employment,  much  to  my  satisfaction,  let  me  add. 
When  I  was  thrown  in  the  society  of  other  boys  I  was  not  slow 
to  follow  their  example,  and  I  take  to  myself  no  special  credit 
for  my  conduct  as  a  town-boy;  for,  like  the  majority,  I  foraged 
among  neighboring  orchards  and  melon  patches,  rode  horses 
when  I  was  able  to  catch  them  grazing  on  the  commons,  trapped 
innocent  birds,  and  sometimes  tied  the  exposed  clothes  of  my 
comrades  while  they  were  in  swimming  and  least  suspicious  of 
my  designs  or  acts.  I  would  not  like  to  admit  any  greater 
crimes,  though  anything  may  be  implied  in  the  confession  that  I 
was  quite  as  bad,  though  no  worse,  than  the  ordinary  every-day 
boy  who  goes  barefoot,  wears  a  brimless  hat,  one  suspender  and 
a  mischievous  smile. 

REMOVAL  TO   KANSAS. 

Shortly  after  my  father's  removal  to  LeClairhe  became  a  stage- 
driver  on  the  line  between  Davenport  and  Chicago,  but  he  had 
not  followed  this  occupation  long  when  he  was  chosen  a  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  soon  after  was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  po- 
sitions which  reflected  honor  rather  than  material  profit. 
He  was  a  very  popular  man  and  I  may  with  justice 
also  add  that  he  possessed  considerable  ability  for  the 
meager  opportunities  he  had  received.  But  he  was  a  natural 
pioneer  and  his  longing  for  new  fields  of  adventure  led  him  away 
from  the  place  where  his  popularity  was  rapidly  extending,  and 
to  the  wilds  of  what  was  then  the  far  West.  Following  the 
bent  of  his  inclination,  in  the  spring  of  1852  he  disposed  of  a 
small  farm  he  owned  at  Walnut  Grove,  and  packing  his  posses- 
sions in  one  carriage  and  three  wagons  he  started  with  his  fam- 
ily for  the  territory  of  Kansas.  Father  had  a  brother,  Elijah, 
living  at  that  time  at  Weston,  Platte  County,  Missouri,  near 
the  Kansas  line,  and  as  he  was  a  well-to-do  merchant  of  the 


18  STORY  OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

place,  father  concluded  to  stop  with  him  awhile  until  he  could 
decide  upon  a  desirable  location  in  the  territory.  The  overland 
trip  was  an  uneventful  one,  save  as  it  gave  me  an  opportunity 
for  seeing  a  large  stretch  of  uninhabited  wilderness,  and  the  meet- 
ing of  several  rough  characters  on  the  route  of  which  we  stood 
in  no  small  dread,  and  afforded  me  my  first  sight  of  a  negro. 
When  within  twenty  miles  of  Weston  we  asked  permission  to 
stop  at  a  farm-house  owned  by  a  widow  lady,  but  owing  to  the 
feeling  of  insecurity  excited  by  frequent  acts  of  pillage  and  out- 
rage committed  by  a  bad  class  of  emigrants,  our  request  was 
refused  until,  by  chance,  my  father  mentioned  his  brother's 
name,  when  a  conversation  was  begun  that  resulted  in  a 
hospitable  welcome  from  the  widow,  whose  name  was  Burnes,  and 
who  was  well  acquainted  with  my  uncle  Elijah.  We  stopped  at 
the  farm-house  a  day  and  were  regaled  with  many  good  things, 
among  which  was  wheat-bread,  something  that  I  had  not  before 
eaten  nor  ever  heard  of,  as  corn-dodger  had  always  been  the 
chief  staff  of  our  frugal  lives. 

On  the  following  day  father  and  mother  drove  over  to  Weston 
in  the  carriage  and  in  the  evening  returned  with  Elijah,  who  was 
very  glad  to  see  us  and  who  took  us  to  his  home  in  Weston  where 
we  remained  for  some  time.  Father  did  not  tarry  long,  but 
crossed  over  into  Kansas,  on  a  prospecting  tour,  hoping  to  find 
a  place  in  which  to  settle  his  family.  He  visited  the  Kickapoo 
agency  in  Leavenworth  County  and  soon  after  established  a  trad- 
ing post  at  Salt  Creek  Valley,  within  four  miles  of  the  agency. 
Having  thus  entered  into  business,  he  settled  his  family  on  a  farm 
belonging  to  Elijah,  three  miles  from  Weston,  intending  that 
we  should  remain  here  until  the  territory  was  opened  up  for  set- 
tlement. 

BOYHOOD  DAYS   IN  KANSAS. 

At  this  time  Kansas  was  occupied  by  numerous  tribes  of  In- 
dians who  were  settled  on  reservations,  and  through  the  territory 
ran  the  great  highway  to  California  and  Salt  Lake  City.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  thousands  of  gold-seekers  who  were  passing  through 
Kansas  by  way  of  Ft.  Leavenworth,  there  were  as  roany  mo^e 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP  BUFFALO  BILL.  19 

Mormons  on  their  hegira  from  Illinois  to  found  a  new  temple  in 
which  to  propagate  their  doctrines.  This  extensive  travel  made 
the  business  of  trade  on  the  route  a  most  profitable  one.  But 
with  the  caravans  were  those  fractious  elements  of  adventurous 
pioneering,  and  here  I  first  saw  the  typical  Westerner,  with  white 
sombrero,  buckskin  clothes,  long  hair,  moccasined  feet  and  a 
belt  full  of  murderous  bowies  and  long  pistols.  But  instead  of 
these  outre  peculiarities  impressing  me  with  feelings  of  trepida- 
tion, they  inspired  me  with  an  ambition  to  become  a  daring 
plainsman.  The  rare  and  skillful  feats  of  horsemanship  which  I 
daily  witnessed  bred  in  me  a  desire  to  excel  the  most  expert ; 
and  when,  at  seven  years  of  age  my  father  gave  me  a  pony,  the 
full  measure  of  my  happiness  had  ripened,  like  Jonah's  gourd, 
in  a  night.  Thenceforth  my  occupation  was  horseback  riding,  in 
which  pleasurable  employment  I  made  myself  useful  in  perform- 
ing necessary  journeys  in  father's  interest. 

In  anticipation  of  the  early  passage  of  what  was  known  as  the 
*'  Enabling  Act  of  Kansas  Territory,"  which  was  then  pending 
before  Congress,  my  father,  in  the  fall  of  1853,  took  his  family 
from  the  farm  of  his  brother  and  settled  them  at  the  post  in  Kan- 
sas, where  he  at  once  set  about  erecting  suitable  log  buildings. 
In  the  succeeding  winter  the  act  was  passed  which  opened  up 
the  territory  for  settlement,  and  father  immediately  pre-empted 
the  claim  on  which  he  was  living. 

During  the  summer  of  this  year  we  lived  in  our  little  log 
house,  and  father  continued  to  trade  with  the  Indians,  who  be- 
came very  friendly ;  hardly  a  day  passed  without  a  social  visit 
from  them.  I  spent  a  great  deal  of  time  with  the  Indian  boys ,  who 
taught  me  how  to  shoot  with  the  bow  and  arrow,  at  which  I  be- 
came quite  expert.  I  also  took  part  in  all  their  sports,  and 
learned  to  talk  the  Kickapoo  language  to  some  extent. 

Father  desired  to  express  his  friendship  for  these  Indians,  and 
accordingly  arranged  a  grand  barbecue  for  them.  He  invited 
them  all  to  be  present  on  a  certain  day,  which  they  were;  he 
then  presented  them  with  two  fat  beeves,  to  be  killed  and  cooked 
in  the  various  Indian  styles.    Mother  made  several  large  boilers 


20 


STORY   OF  THE   WILD  WEST. 


full  of  coffee,  which  she  gave  to  them,  together  with  sugar  and 
bread.  There  were  about  two  hundred  Indians  in  attendance  at 
the  feast,  and  they  all  enjoyed  and  appreciated  it.  In  the  even- 
ing they  had  one  of  their  grand  fantastic  war  dances,  which 
greatly  amused  me,  it  being  the  first  sight  of  the  kind  I  had  ever 
witnessed. 

My  Uncle  Elijah  and  quite  a  large  number  of  gentlemen  and 
ladies  came    over  from    Weston  to   attend  the  entertainment. 

The   Indians   returned  to   their 
homes  well  satisfied. 

My  uncle  at  that  time  owned  a 
trading  post  at  Silver  Lake,  in 
the  Pottawattamie  country,  on 
the  Kansas  river,  and  he  arranged 
an  excursion  to  that  place. 
Among  the  party  were  several 
ladies  from  Weston,  and  father, 
mother  and  myself.  Mr.  Mc- 
Meekan,  my  uncle's  superin- 
tendent, who  had  come  to  Weston 
for  supplies,  conducted  the  party 
to  the  post. 

The  trip  across  the   prairies 
was  a  delightful  one  and  we  re- 
mained at  the  post  several  days. 
Father  and  one  or  two  of  the 
STAKING  OUT  CLAIMS.  men  went  on  to  Fort  Kiley  to 

view  the  country,  and  upon  their  return  my  uncle  entertained  the 
Pottawattamie  Indians  with  a  barbecue  similar  to  the  one  given 
by  father  to  the  Kickapoos. 

During  the  latter  part  of  the  summer  father  filled  a  hay  con- 
tract at  Fort  Leavenworth.  I  passed  much  of  my  time  among 
the  campers,  and  spent  days  and  days  in  riding  over  the  country 
with  Mr.  William  Russell,  who  was  engaged  in  the  freighting 
business  and  who  seemed  to  take  a  considerable  interest  in  me. 
Id  this  way  I  became  acquainted  with  many  wagon-masters, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  21 

hunters  and  teamsters,  and  learned  a  great  deal  about  the  busi- 
ness of  handling  cattle  and  mules. 

It  was  an  excellent  jchool  for  me,  and  I  acquired  a  great  deal 
of  practical  knowledge,  which  afterwards  I  found  to  be  of  in- 
valuable service,  for  it  was  not  long  before  I  became  employed 
by  Majors  &  Russell,  remaining  with  them  in  different  capacities 
for  several  years. 

The  winter  of  1853-54  was  spent  by  father  at  our  little  prairie 
home  in  cutting  house  logs  and  fence  rails,  which  he  intended 
to  use  on  his  farm,  as  soon  as  the  bill  for  the  opening  of 
the  territory  should  pass.  This  bill,  which  was  called  the 
**  Enabling  act  of  Kansas  territory,*'  was  passed  in  April,  1854, 
and  as  before  stated  father  immediately  pre-empted  the  claim  on 
which  we  were  living. 

The  summer  of  that  year  was  an  exciting  period  in  the  history 
of  the  new  territory.  Thousands  and  thousands  of  people,  seek- 
ing new  homes,  flocked  thither,  a  large  number  of  the  emigrants 
coming  over  from  adjoining  States.  The  Missourians,  some  of 
them,  would  come  laden  with  bottles  of  whisky,  and  after  drink- 
ing the  liquor  would  drive  the  bottles  into  the  ground  to  mark 
their  land  claims,  not  waiting  to  put  up  any  buildings. 

WARFARE  ON  THE   BORDER. 

Every  reader  of  American  history  is  familiar  with  the  disorders 
which  followed  close  upon  the  heels  of  the  **  Enabling  Act." 
Pending  its  passage  the  western  boundary  of  Missouri  was  ablaze 
with  the  camp  fires  of  intending  settlers.  Thousands  of  families 
were  sheltered  under  the  canvas  of  their  ox  wagons,  impatiently 
awaiting  the  signal  from  the  Nation  announcing  the  opening  of 
the  territorial  doors  to  the  brawny  immigrants,  and  when  the 
news  was  heralded  the  waiting  host  poured  over  the  boundary 
line  and  fairly  deluged  the  new  public  domain. 

In  this  rapid  settlement  of  the  territory  a  most  perplexing 
question  arose,  which  was  contested  with  such  virulence  that  a 
warfare  was  inaugurated  which  became  a  stain  upon  the  nation's 
escutcheon,  and  was  not  abated  until  the  Missouri  and  Kansas 


22  STORY   OF   THE   WILD   WEST 

borders  became  drunk  with  blood.  Nearly  all  those  who  came 
from  Missouri  were  intent  upon  extending  slavery  into  the  terri- 
tory, whilst  those  who  emigrated  from  Illinois,  Iowa  and  Indiana 
and  sought  homes  in  the  new  domain  were  equally  determined 
that  the  cursed  hydra-head  of  slavery  should  never  be  reared  in 
their  midst.  Over  this  question  the  border  warfare  began,  and 
its  fierceness  can  only  find  comparison  in  the  inquisitorial  perse- 
cutions of  the  fifteenth  century.  Men  were  shot  down  in  their 
homes,  around  their  firesides,  in  the  furrows  behind  the  plow, — 
everywhere.  Widows  and  orphans  multiplied,  the  arm  of  indus- 
try was  palsied,  while  the  incendiary  torch  lit  up  the  prairie 
heavens,  feeding  on  blighted  homes  and  trailing  along  in  the  path 
of  granaries  and  store-houses.  Mobs  of  murder-loving  men, 
drunk  with  fury,  and  with  hearts  set  on  desolation,  day  and  night 
descended  upon  unguarded  households,  and  tearing  away  hus- 
bands and  brothers  from  the  loving  arms  of  wives  and  sisters, 
left  their  bodies  dangling  from  the  shade  trees  of  their  unhappy 
homes,  or  shot  them  down  where  their  blood  might  sear  the  eyes 
of  helpless,  agonized  relatives.  Anguish  sat  on  every  threshold, 
pity  had  no  abiding-place,  and  for  four  years  the  besom  of  de- 
struction, with  all  its  pestilential  influences,  blighted  the  prairies 
and  rendered  every  heart  on  the  border  sad  and  despondent. 

THE  STABBING   OF   MY   FATHER 

In  this  war  of  vengeance  the  Cody  family  did  not  escape  a  full 
measure  of  affliction.  Near  the  Salt  Creek  trading  post  was  an- 
other store,  kept  by  a  Missourian  named  Rively,  around  which  a 
considerable  settlement  had  been  made,  which  became  the  ren- 
dezvous of  many  different  elements,  and  particularly  of  pro- 
slavery  men,  who  enjoyed  Rively 's  sympathies.  In  the  summer 
of  1854,  and  within  a  few  months  after  the  *' Enabling  Act*'  was 
passed,  a  very  large  meeting  was  held  at  the  popular  rendezvous, 
and  father  being  present  was  pressed  to  address  the  crowd  on  the 
slavery  question,  he  being  regarded  as  favorably  disposed  to  making 
Kansas  a  slave  territory,  owing  to  the  fact  that  his  brother,  Elijah, 
was  a  Missourian. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO   BILL. 


23 


After  much  urging  he  at  length  spoke  substantially  as  follows : 
*'  Gentlemen:  You  have  called  upon  me  for  a  speech,  and  1 
have  accepted  your  invitation  rather  against  my  will,  as  my  views 
may  not  accord  with  the  sentiments  of  a  majority  of  this  assembly. 
My  remarks  will  therefore  be  brief  and  to  the  point.  The  ques- 
tion before  us  to-day  is,  shall  the  territory  of  Kansas  admit 
slavery,  and  hereafter,  upon  her  admission,  shall  she  be  a  slave 
State?  The  question  of  slavery  is  itself  a  broad  one,  which  will 
not  permit  of  discussion  at  length  in  this  place.  I  apprehend 
that  your  motive  in  calling  upon  me  is  to  have  me  express  my 


MURDEROUS   ATTACK  UPON   MY  FATHER. 

sentiments  in  regard  to  the  introduction  of  slavery  into  Kansas. 
I  shall  gratify  your  wishes  in  that  respect.  I  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  the  State  of  Iowa,  and  aided  in  its  settlement  when 
it  was  a  territory,  and  helped  to  organize  it  as  a  State. 

''Gentlemen,  I  voted  that  it  should  be  a  white  State  —  that 
negroes,  whether  free  or  slave,  should  never  be  allowed  to  locate 
within  its  limits;  and,  gentlemen,  I  say  to  you  now,^  and  I  say  it 
boldly,  that  I  propose  to  exert  all  my  power  in  making  Kansas 
the  same  kind  of  a  State  as  Iowa.  I  believe  in  letting  slavery 
remain  as  it  now  exists,  and  I  shall  always  oppose  its  further  ex- 


24  STORT   OP  THE  WILD  WEST. 

tension.     These  are  my  sentiments,  gentlemen,  and  let  me  tell 
you " 

He  never  finished  this  sentence,  or  his  speech,  His  expressions 
were  anything  but  acceptable  to  the  rough-looking  crowd,  whose 
ire  had  been  gradually  rising  to  fever  heat,  and  at  this  point  they 
hooted  and  hissed  him,  and  shouted,  *  *  You  black  Abolitionist,  shut 
up!"  **Get  down  from  that  box  I"  **Kill  himT'  **  Shoot 
him  !"  and  so  on.  Father,  however,  maintained  his  position  on  the 
dry  goods  box,  notwithstanding  the  excitement  and  numerous  invi- 
tations to  step  down,  until  a  hot-headed  pro-slavery  man,  who  was 
in  the  employ  of  my  Uncle  Elijah,  crowded  up  and  said:  *'  Get 
off  that  box,  you  black  Abolitionist,  or  I'll  pull  you  off." 

Father  paid  but  little  attention  to  him,  and  attempted  to  re- 
sume his  speech,  intending  doubtless  to  explain  his  position  and 
endeavor  to  somewhat  pacify  the  angry  crowd.  But  the  fellow 
jumped  up  on  the  box,  and  pulling  out  a  huge  bowie  knife, 
stabbed  father  twice,  who  reeled  and  fell  to  the  ground.  The 
man  sprang  after  him,  and  would  have  ended  his  life  then  and 
there,  had  not  some  of  the  better  men  in  the  crowd  interfered  in 
time  to  prevent  him  from  carrying  out  his  murderous  intention. 

The  excitement  was  intense,  and  another  assault  would  probably 
have  been  made  on  my  father,  had  not  Kively  hurriedly  carried 
him  to  his  home.  There  was  no  doctor  within  any  reasonable 
distance,  and  father  at  once  requested  that  he  be  conveyed  in  the 
carriage  to  his  brother  Elijah's  house  in  Weston.  My  mother  and 
a  driver  accordingly  went  there  with  him,  where  his  wounds  were 
dressed.  He  remained  in  Weston  several  weeks  before  he  was 
able  to  stir  about  again,  but  he  never  fully  recovered  from  the 
wounds,  which  eventually  proved  the  cause  of  his  death. 

My  uncle  of  course  at  once  discharged  the  ruffian  from  his 
employ.  The  man  afterwards  became  a  noted  desperado,  and 
was  quite  conspicuous  in  the  Kansas  war. 

father's  escape  from  an  armed  mob. 

My  father's  indiscreet  speech  at  Rively's  brought  upon  our 
family  all  of  the  misfortunes  and  difficulties  which  from  that  time 


AOTOBIOGRAPHY   OF    BUFFALO   BILL.  25 

on  befell  us.  As  soon  as  he  was  able  to  attend  to  his  business 
again,  the  Missourians  began  to  harass  him  in  every  possible  way, 
and  kept  it  up  with  hardFy  a  moment's  cessation.  Kickapoo  City, 
as  it  was  called,  a  small  town  that  had  sprung  into  existence  seven 
miles  up  the  river  from  Fort  Leavenworth,  became  the  hot-bed 
of  the  pro-slavery  doctrine  and  the  headquarters  of  its  advocates. 
Here  was  really  the  beginning  of  the  Kansas  troubles.  My  father, 
who  had  shed  the  first  blood  in  the  cause  of  the  freedom  of  Kan- 


FIGHT   WITH   THE   WYANDOTTES. 

sas,  was  notified,  upon  his  return  to  his  trading  post,  to  leave  the 
territory,  and  he  was  threatened  with  death  by  hanging  or 
shooting,  if  he  dared  to  remain. 

One  night  a  body  of  armed  men,  mounted  on  horses,  rode  up 
to  our  house  and  surrounded  it.  Knowing  what  they  had  come 
for,  and  seeing  that  there  would  be  but  little  chance  for  him  in 
an  encounter  with  them,  father  determined  to  make  his  escape  by 
a  little  stratagem.  Hastily  disguising  himself  in  mother's  bon- 
net and  shawl,  he  boldly  walked  out  of  the  house  and  proceeded 
V>ward8  the  corn-field.    The  darkness  proved  a  great  protectiout 


26  STORY  OF  THE  WILD  WEST. 

as  the  horsemen,  between  whom  he  passed,  were  unable  to  detect 
him  in  his  disguise ;  supposing  him  to  be  a  woman,  they  neither 
halted  him  nor  followed  him,  and  he  passed  safely  on  into  the 
corn-field,  where  he  concealed  himself. 

The  horsemen  soon  dismounted  and  inquired  for  father; 
mother  very  truthfully  told  them  that  he  was  away.  They  were 
not  satisfied  with  her  statement,  however,  and  they  at  once  made 
a  thorough  search  of  the  house.  They  raved  and  swore  when 
they  could  not  find  him,  and  threatened  him  with  death  whenever 
they  should  catch  him.  I  am  sure  if  they  had  captured  him  that 
night  they  would  have  killed  him.  They  carried  off  nearly 
everything  of  value  in  the  house  and  about  the  premises ;  then 
going  to  the  pasture,  they  drove  off  all  the  horses;  my  pony, 
Prince,  afterward  succeeded  in  breaking  away  from  them  and 
came  back  home.  Father  lay  secreted  in  the  corn-field  for  three 
days,  as  there  were  men  in  the  vicinity  who  were  watching  for 
him  all  the  time ;  he  finally  made  his  escape,  and  reached  Fort 
Leavenworth  in  safety,  whither  the  pro-slavery  men  did  not 
dare  to  follow  him. 

While  he  was  staying  at  Fort  Leavenworth  he  heard  that  Jim 
Lane,  Captain  Cleveland  and  Captain  Chandler  were  on  their 
way  from  Indiana  to  Kansas  with  a  body  of  Free  State  men,  be- 
tween two  and  three  hundred  strong.  They  were  to  cross  the 
Missouri  Eiver  near  Doniphan,  between  Leavenworth  and  Ne- 
braska City,  their  destination  being  Lawrence.  Father  deter- 
mined to  join  them,  and  took  passage  on  a  steamboat  which  was 
going  up  the  river.  Having  reached  the  place  of  crossing,  he 
made  himself  known  to  the  leaders  of  the  party,  by  whom  he  was 
most  cordially  received. 

The  pro-slavery  men,  hearing  of  the  approach  of  the  Free 
State  party,  resolved  to  drive  them  out  of  the  territory.  The 
two  parties  met  at  Hickory  Point,  were  a  severe  battle  was 
fought,  several  being  killed;  the  victory  resulted  in  favor  of  the 
Free  State  men,  who  passed  on  to  Lawrence  without  much 
further  opposition.  My  father  finally  left  them,  and  seeing  that 
he  could  no  longer  live  at  home*  went  to  Grasshopper  Falls, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL 


27 


thirty-five  miles  west  of  Leavenworth;  there  he  began  the  erec- 
tion of  a  saw-mill. 

While  he  was  thus  engaged  we  learned  from  one  of  our  hired 
workmen  at  home,  that  the  pro-slavery  men  had  laid  another  plan 
to  kill  him,  and  were  on  their  way  to  Grasshopper  Falls  to  carry 
out  their  intention.  Mother  at  once  started  me  off  on  Prince 
(my  pony)  to  warn  father  of  the  coming  danger.    When  I  had 


TO  SAVE  MY  FATHER'S  LIFE 

gone  about  seven  miles  I 
suddenly  came  upon  a 
party  of  men  who  were 
camped  at  the  crossing  of 
Stranger  Creek.  As  I 
passed  along  I  heard  one 
of  them,  who  recognized  me,  saying,  *' That's  the  son  of  the  old 
Abolitionist  we  are  after;"  and  the  next  moment  I  was  com- 
manded to  halt. 

Instead  of  stopping  I  instantly  started  my  pony  on  a  run,  and 
on  looking  back  I  saw  that  I  was  being  pursued  by  three  or  four 
of  the  party,  who  had  mounted  their  horses,  no  doubt  supposing 
that  they  could  easily  capture  me.  It  was  very  fortunate  that 
I  had  heard  the  remark  about  my  being  *Hhe  son  of  the  Aboli- 


28  STORY  OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

fcionist."  for  then  I  knew  in  an  instant  that  they  were  en  route 
to  Grasshopper  Falls  to  murder  my  father.  I  at  once  saw  the 
importance  of  my  escaping  and  warning  father  in  time.  It  was 
a  matter  of  life  or  death  to  him.  So  I  urged  Prince  to  his  ut- 
most speed,  feeling  that  upon  him  and  myself  depended  a  human 
life  —  a  life  that  was  dearer  to  me  than  that  of  any  other  man  in 
the  world.  I  led  my  pursuers  a  lively  chase  for  four  or  five 
miles;  finally,  when  they  saw  they  could  not  catch  me,  they  re- 
turned to  their  camp.  I  kept  straight  on  to  Grasshopper  Falls, 
arriving  there  in  ample  time  to  inform  father  of  the  approach  of 
his  old  enemies.  That  same  night  he  and  I  rode  to  Lawrence, 
which  had  become  the  headquarters  of  the  Free  State  men. 
There  he  met  Jim  Lane  and  several  other  leading  characters,  who 
were  then  organizing  what  was  known  as  the  Lecompton  Legis^ 
lature.  Father  was  elected  a  member  of  that  body,  and  took  an 
active  part  in  organizing  the  first  Legislature  of  Kansas,  unde? 
Governor  Keeder,  who,  by  the  way,  was  a  Free  State  man  and  a 
great  friend  of  father's. 

About  this  time  agents  were  being  sent  to  the  East  to  induce 
emigi'ants  to  locate  in  .Kansas,  and  father  was  sept  «3  one  of 
these  agents  to  Ohio.  After  the  Legislature  had  been  organized 
at  Lawrence,  he  departed  for  Ohio  and  was  absent  several  months. 
4.  few  days  after  he  had  gone,  I  started  for  home  by  the  way  of 
Fort  Leavenworth,  accompanied  by  two  men,  who  were  going  to 
the  fort  on  business.  As  we  were  crossing  a  stream  called  Little 
Stranger,  we  were  fired  upon  by  some  unknown  party;  one  of 
my  companions,  whose  name  has  escaped  my  memory,  was  killed. 
The  other  man  and  myself  put  spurs  to  our  horses  and  made  a 
dash  for  our  lives.  We  succeeded  in  making  our  escape,  though 
a  farewell  shot  or  two  was  sent  after  us.  At  Fort  Leavenworth 
I  parted  company  with  my  companion,  and  reached  home  with- 
out any  further  adventure. 

My  mother  and  sisters,  who  had  not  heard  of  my  father  or 
myself  since  I, had  been  sent  to  warn  him  of  his  danger,  had  be- 
come very  anxious  and  uneasy  about  us,  and  were  uncertain  as 
to  whether  we  were  dead  or  alive.     1  received  a  warm  welcome 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO   BILL.  29 

home,  and  as  I  entered  the  house,  mother  seemed  to  read  from 
the  expression  of  my  countenance  that  father  was  safe ;  of  course 
the  very  first  question  she  asked  was  as  to  his  whereabouts,  and 
in  reply  I  handed  her  a  long  letter  from  him  which  explained 
everything.  Mother  blessed  me  again  and  again  for  having  saved 
his  life. 

While  father  was  absent  in  Ohio,  we  were  almost  daily  visited 
by  some  of  the  pro-slavery  men,  who  helped  themselves  to  any- 
thing they  saw  fit,  and  frequently  compelled  my  mother  and  sis- 
ters to  cook  for  them,  and  to  otherwise  submit  to  a  great  deal  oi 
bad  treatment.  Hardly  a  day  passed  without  some  of  them  in- 
quiring '*  where  the  old  man  was,"  saying  they  would  kill  him  on 
sight.  Thus  we  passed  tho  summer  of  1855,  remaining  at  our 
home  notwithstanding  the  unpleasant  surroundings,  as  mother 
had  made  up  her  mind  not  to  be  driven  out  of  the  country.  My 
uncle  and  other  friends  advised  her  to  leave  Kansas  and  move  to 
Missouri,  because  they  did  not  consider  our  lives  safe,  as  we 
lived  so  near  the  headquarters  of  the  pro-slavery  men,  who  had 
sworn  vengeance  upon  father. 

Nothing,  however,  could  persuade  mother  to  change  her  de- 
termination. She  said  that  the  pro-slavery  men  had  taken  every- 
thing except  the  little  home,  and  she  proposed  to  remain  there  as 
long  as  she  lived,  happen  what  might.  Our  only  friends  in  Salt 
Creek  Valley  were  two  families ;  one  named  La ».  rence,  the  other 
Hathaway,  and  the  peaceable  Indians,  who  occasionally  visited 
us.  My  uncle,  living  in  Missouri  and  being  somewhat  in  fear  of 
the  pro-slavery  men,  could  not  assist  us  much,  beyond  express- 
ing his  sympathy  and  sending  us  provisions. 

In  the  winter  of  1854-55  father  returned  from  Ohio,  but  as 
soon  as  his  old  enemies  learned  that  he  was  with  us,  they  again 
compelled  him  to  leave.  He  proceeded  to  Lawrence,  and  there 
spent  the  winter  in  attending  the  Lecompton  Legislature.  The 
remainder  of  the  year  he  passed  mostly  at  Grasshopper  Falls, 
where  he  completed  his  saw-mill.  He  occasionally  visited  home 
under  cover  of  the  night,  and  in  the  most  secret  manner;  virtu- 
ally carrying  his  life  in  his  hand. 


30  8TOBY  OP  THB  WILD  WEST. 

In  the  spring  of  this  year  (1855)  a  pro-slavery  party  came  to 
our  house  to  search  for  father;  not  finding  him,  they  departed, 
taking  with  them  my  pony,  Prince.  I  shall  never  forget  the 
man  who  stole  that  pony.  He  afterwards  rose  from  the  low 
level  of  a  horse  thief  to  the  high  dignity  of  a  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  I  think  still  lives  at  Kickapoo.  The  loss  of  my  faithful 
pony  nearly  broke  my  heart  and  bankrupted  me  in  business,  as  I 
had  nothing  to  ride. 

ENGAGEMENT  WITH  THE  GREAT  OVERLAND  FREIGHTERS. 

One  day,  soon  afterwards,  I  met  my  old  friend,  Mr.  Eussell, 
to  whom  I  related  all  my  troubles,  and  his  generous  heart  was 
touched  by  my  story.  *'  Billy,  my  boy,"  said  he,  «*  cheer  up, 
and  come  to  Leavenworth,  and  I'll  employ  you.  I'll  give  you 
twenty-five  dollars  a  month  to  herd  cattle." 

I  accepted  the  offer,  and  heartily  thanking  him,  hurried  home 
to  obtain  mother's  consent.  She  refused  to  let  me  go,  and  all 
my  pleading  was  in  vain.  Young  as  I  was  —  being  then  only  in 
my  tenth  year,  my  ideas  and  knowledge  of  the  world,  however, 
being  far  in  advance  of  my  age  —  I  determined  to  run  away  from 
home.  Mr.  Russell's  offer  of  twenty-five  dollars  a  month  was  a 
temptation  which  I  could  not  resist.  The  remuneration  for  my 
services  seemed  very  large  to  me,  and  I  accordingly  stole  away 
and  walked  to  Leavenworth. 

Mr.  Badger,  one  of  Mr.  Russell's  superintendents,  immediately 
sent  me  out,  mounted  on  a  little  gray  mule>  to  herd  cattle.  1 
worked  at  this  for  two  months,  and  then  came  into  Leavenworth. 
I  had  not  been  home  during  all  this  time,  but  mother  had  learned 
from  Mr.  Russell  where  I  was,  and  she  no  longer  felt  uneasy,  as 
he  had  advised  her  to  let  me  remain  in  his  employ.  He  assured 
her  that  I  was  all  right,  and  said  that  when  the  herd  came  in  he 
would  allow  me  to  make  a  visit  home. 

Upon  my  arrival  in  Leavenworth  with  the  herd  of  cattle,  Mr. 
Russell  instructed  his  book-keeper,  Mr.  Byers,  to  pay  me  my 
wages,  amounting  to  fifty  dollars.  Byers  gave  me  the  sum  all  in 
half-dollar  pieces.     I  put  the  bright  silver  coins  into  a  sack, 


32  STORY   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

which  I  tied  to  my  mule,  and  started  home,  thinking  myself  a 
millionaire.  This  money  I  gave  to  mother,  who  had  already 
forgiven  me  for  running  away. 

Thus  began  my  service  for  the  firm  of  Russell  &  Majors,  after- 
wards Russell,  Majors  &  Waddell,  with  whom  I  spent  seven  years 
of  my  life  in  different  capacities  —  such  as  cavallard-driver, 
wagon- master,  pony  express  rider  and  driver.  I  continued  to 
work  for  Mr.  Russell  during  the  rest  of  the  summer  of  1855, 
and  in  the  winter  of  1855-56  I  attended  school. 

Father,  who  still  continued  to  secretly  visit  home,  was  anxious 
to  have  his  children  receive  as  much  education  as  possible,  under 
the  adverse  circumstances  surrounding  us,  and  he  employed  a 
teacher,  Miss  Jennie  Lyons,  to  come  to  our  house  and  teach.  My 
mother  was  well  educated — more  so  than  my  father — and  it  used 
to  worry  her  a  great  deal  because  her  children  could  not  receive 
better  educational  advantages.  However,  the  little  school  at 
home  got  along  exceedingly  well,  and  we  all  made  rapid  advances 
in  our  studies,  as  Miss  Lyons  was  an  excellent  teacher.  She 
afterwards  married  a  gentleman  named  Hook,  who  became  the 
first  mayor  of  Cheyenne,  where  she  now  lives. 

A   MOB   OUTWITTED. 

The  Kansas  troubles  reached  their  highest  pitch  in  the  spring 
of  1856,  and  our  family  continued  to  be  harassed  as  much  as 
ever  by  our  old  enemies.  I  cannot  now  recollect  one-half  of  the 
serious  difficulties  that  we  had  to  encounter ;  but  I  very  distinctly 
remember  one  incident  well  worth  relating.  I  came  home  one 
night  on  a  visit  from  Leavenworth,  being  accompanied  by  a  fel- 
bw-herder  —  a  young  man.  During  the  night  we  heard  a  noise 
outside  of  the  house,  and  soon  the  dogs  began  barking  loudly. 
"We  looked  out  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  the  disturbance,  and  saw 
that  the  house  was  surrounded  by  a  party  of  men.  Mother 
had  become  accustomed  to  such  occurrences,  and  on  this  occa- 
sion she  seemed  to  be  master  of  the  situation  from  the  start. 
Opening  a  window,  she  coolly  sang  out,  in  a  firm  tone  of  voice: 
*<  Who  are  you?     What  do  you  want  here ?' * 


"BUFFALO  BILL"— HUNTER 

Colonel  Cody  acquired  his  name  ''Buffalo  Bill"  at  the  time 
he  hunted  and  killed  4,280  buffaloes  for  Goddard  Brothers,  "who 
had  the  contract  for  boarding  the  laborers  engaged  in  builvling 
the  Kansas  Pacific  Eailroad. 


BUFFALO  BILL'S  FAVORITE  PHOTOGRAPH 

showing  his  famous  saddle-lariat,  and  his  gun,  "Lucretia  Borgia, '*  which 
he  tells  about  using  to  such  good  advantage  when  hunting  buffalo  and 
fighting  the  Indians. 


OE    GO-YAT-THLAY,    THE    YAWNEB, 

THE   RENOWNED  APACHE  CHIEF  AND  MEDICINE   MAN. 
Courtesy  of  Smithsonian  Institution. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  33 

**  We  are  after  that  old  Abolition  husband  of  yours,"  was  the 
answer  from  one  of  the  crowd. 

<«  He  is  not  in  the  house  and  has  not  been  here  for  a  long 
time,"  said  my  mother. 

**  That's  a  lie !     We  know  he  is  in  the  house  and  we  are  bound 
to  have  him,"  said  the  spokesman  of  the  party. 
(    I  afterwards  learned  they  had  mistaken  the  herder ,  who  had  ridden 
home  with  me,  for  my  father,  for  whom  they  had  been  watching. 

'*  My  husband  is  not  at  home,"  emphatically  repeated  my  he- 
roic mother  —  for  if  there  ever  was  a  heroine  she  certainly  was 
one — **  but  the  house  is  full  of  armed  men,"  continued  she, 
'*  and  I'll  give  you  just  two  minutes  to  get  out  of  the  yard;  if 
you  are  not  out  by  the  end  of  that  time  I  shall  order  them  to  fire 
on  you." 

She  withdrew  from  the  window  for  a  few  moments  and  hur- 
riedly instructed  the  herder  to  call  aloud  certain  names  —  any 
that  he  might  think  of  —  just  as  if  the  house  were  full  of  men  to 
whom  he  was  giving  orders.  He  followed  her  directions  to  the 
very  letter.  He  could  not  have  done  it  any  better  had  he  re- 
hearsed the  act  a  dozen  times. 

The  party  outside  heard  him,  as  it  was  intended  they  should, 
and  they  supposed  that  my  mother  really  had  quite  a  force  at 
her  command.  While  this  little  by-play  was  being  enacted,  she 
stepped  to  the  open  window  again  and  said:  — 

*<  John  Green,  you  and  your  friends  had  better  go  away  or  the 
men  will  surely  fire  on  you." 

At  this  point  the  herder,  myself  and  my  sisters  commenced 
stamping  on  the  floor  in  imitation  of  a  squad  of  soldiers,  and  the 
herder  issued  his  orders  in  a  loud  voice  to  his  imaginary  troops, 
who  were  apparently  approaching  the  window  preparatory  to  fir- 
ing a  volley  at  the  enemy.  This  little  stratagem  proved  emi- 
nently successful.  The  cowardly  villains  began  retreating,  and 
then  my  mother  fired  an  old  gun  into  the  air  which  greatly  accel- 
erated their  speed,  causing  them  to  break  and  run.  They  soon 
disappeared  from  view  in  the  darkness. 

The  next  morning  we  accidentally  discovered  that  they  had  in- 


34  STORY  OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

tended  to  blow  up  the  house.  Upon  going  into  the  cellar  which 
had  been  left  open  on  one  side,  we  found  two  kegs  of  powder 
together  with  a  fuse  secreted  there.  It  only  required  a  lighted 
match  to  have  sent  us  into  eternity.  My  mother's  presence  of 
mind,  which  had  never  yet  deserted  her  in  any  trying  situation, 
had  saved  our  lives. 

ANOTHER  ATTEMPT   TO   ASSASSINATE   MY   FATHER. 

Shortly  after  this  affair  I  came  home  again  on  a  visit  and  found 
father  there  sick  with  fever  and  confined  to  his  bed.  One  day 
my  old  enemy  rode  up  to  the  house  on  my  pony  Prince,  which 
he  had  stolen  from  me. 

**  What  is  your  business  here  to-day?  '*  asked  mother. 

«*  I  am  looking  for  the  old  man,"  he  replied.  **  I  am  going  to 
search  the  house,  and  if  I  find  him  I  am  going  to  kill  him.  Here, 
you  girls,''  said  he,  addressing  my  sisters,  **  get  me  some  dinner, 
and  get  it  quick,  too,  for  I  am  as  hungry  as  a  wolf." 

*' Very  well;  pray  be  seated,  and  we'll  get  you  something  to  eat," 
said  one  of  my  sisters,  without  exhibiting  the  least  sign  of  fear. 

He  sat  down,  and  while  they  were  preparing  a  dinner  for  him, 
he  took  out  a  big  knife  and  sharpened  it  on  a  whetstone,  repeat- 
ing his  threat  of  searching  the  house  and  killing  my  father. 

I  had  witnessed  the  whole  proceeding  and  heard  the  threats, 
and  I  determined  that  the  man  should  never  go  upstairs  where 
father  was  lying  in  bed  unable  to  rise.  Taking  a  double-bar- 
reled pistol,  which  I  had  recently  bought,  I  went  to  the  head  of 
the  stairs,  cocked  the  weapon,  and  waited  for  the  ruflian  to  come 
up,  determined,  that  the  moment  he  set  foot  on  the  steps  I  would 
kill  him.  I  was  relieved,  however,  from  the  stern  necessity,  as 
he  did  not  make  his  appearance. 

The  brute  was  considerably  intoxicated  when  he  came  to  the 
house,  and  the  longer  he  sat  still  the  more  hi^  brain  became  mud- 
died with  liquor,  and  he  actually  forgot  what  he  had  come  there 
for.  After  he  had  eaten  his  dinner,  he  mounted  his  horse  and 
rode  off,  and  it  was  a  fortunate  thing  for  him  that  he  did. 

Father  soon  recovered  and  returned  to  Grasshopper  Falls, 
while  I  resumed  my  cattle  herding. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL. 


35 


CHAPTER    n. 


MY  FIRST  LOVE  AFFAIR, 


OMMON  school  advantages  were  denied  us  in 
the  early  settlement  of  Kansas,  and  to  pro- 
vide a  means  for  educating  the  few  boys  and 
girls  in  the  neighborhood  of  my  home,  a 
subscription  school  was  started  in  a  small 
log-cabin  that  was  built  on  the  bank  of  a 
creek  that  ran  near  our  house.  My  mother 
took  great  interest  in  this  school  and  at  her 
persuasion  I  returned  home  and  became  en- 
rolled as  a  pupil,  where  I  made  satisfactory  progress  until  the 
evil  circumstance  of  a  love  affair  suddenly  blasted  my  prospects 
for  acquiring  an  education. 

Like  all  school-boys,  I  had  a  sweetheart  with  whom  I  was 
*«dead  in  love"  —  in  a  juvenile  way.  Her  name  was  Mary 
Hyatt.  Of  course  I  had  a  rival,  Stephen  Gob  el,  a  boy  about 
three  years  my  senior — the  "bully"  of  the  school.  He  was 
terribly  jealous,  and  sought  in  every  way  to  revenge  himself 
upon  me  for  having  won  the  childish  affections  of  sweet  little 
Mary. 

The  boys  of  the  school  used  to  build  play-houses  or  arbors 
among  the  trees  and  bushes  for  their  sweethearts.  I  had  built 
a  play-house  for  Mary,  when  Steve,  as  we  called  him,  leveled  it 
to  the  ground.  We  immediately  had  a  very  lively  fight,  in 
which  I  got  badly  beaten.  The  teacher  heard  of  our  quarrel  and 
whipped  us  both.  This  made  matters  worse  than  ever,  as  I  had 
received  two  thrashings  to  Steve's  one;  I  smothered  my  angry 
feelings  as  much  as  possible  under  the  humiliating  circumstances, 
and  during  the  afternoon  recess  built  another  play-house,  think- 
ing that  Gobel  would  not  dare  to  destroy  a  second  one ;  but  I 
was  mistaken,  for  he  pushed  the  whole  structure  over  at  the  first 


36 


STORY   OP  THE   WILD   WEST. 


opportunity.  I  came  up  to  him  just  as  he  finished  the  job,  and 
said: — 

<*  Steve  Gobel,  the  next  time  you  do  that,  I'll  hurt  you.'* 
And  I  meant  it  too;  but  he  laughed  and  called  me  names. 

At  recess,  next  morning,  I  began  the  construction  of  still  an- 
other play-house,  and  when  I  had  it  about  two-thirds  finished, 
Steve  slyly  sneaked  up  to  the  spot  and  tipped  the  whole  thing 
over.  I  jumped  for  him  with  the  quickness  of  a  cat  and  clutch- 
ing him  by  the  throat  for  a 
^  ^  .-^'^^£__-^       moment  I  had  the  advantage 

^r/h=i\  ^f^"^^      of  him.   But  he  was  too  strong 

for  me,  and  soon  had  me  on 
the  ground  and  was  beating 
me  severely.  While  away 
from  home  I  had  some  way 
come  into  possession  of  a  very 
small  pocket  dagger,  which  I 
had  carried  about  with  me  in 
its  sheath,  using  it  in  place  of 
a  knife.  During  the  struggle 
this  fell  from  my  pocket,  and 
my  hand  by  accident  rested 
upon  it  as  it  lay  upon  the 
ground.  Exasperated  beyond 
measure  at  Steve's  persistence 
in  destroying  my  play-houses, 
TWO  TO  ONE.  and  smarting  under  his  blows, 

I  forgot  myself  for  the  moment,  grasped  the  dagger  and  unthink- 
ingly thrust  it  into  Steve's  thigh.  Had  it  been  larger  it  would 
probably  have  injured  him  severely ;  as  it  was,  it  made  a  small 
wound,  sufficient  to  cause  the  blood  to  flow  freely  and  Steve  to 
cry  out  in  affright:   *'  I  am  killed !  O,  I  am  killed  1" 

The  school  children  all  rushed  to  the  spot  and  were  terrified 
at  the  scene.  <*  What's  the  matter?"  asked  one.  **  Bill  Cody 
has  killed  Steve  Gobel,"  replied  another. 

The  uproar  reached  the  teacher's  ear,  and  T  now  saw  him  ap* 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  37 

proaching,  with  vengeance  in  his  eye  and  a  big  club  in  his  hand. 
I  knew  that  he  was  coming  to  interview  nie.  I  was  dreadfully 
frightened  at  what  I  had  done,  and  undecided  whether  to  run 
away  or  to  remain  and  take  the  consequences ;  but  the  sight  of 
that  flag-staff  in  the  school  teacher's  hand  was  too  much  for  me. 
I  no  longer  hesitated,  but  started  off  like  a  deer.  The  teacher 
followed  in  hot  pursuit,  but  soon  became  convinced  that  he  could 
not  catch  me,  and  gave  up  the  chase.  I  kept  on  running,  until 
I  reached  one  of  Russell,  Major  &  Waddell's  freight  trains  which 
I  had  noticed  going  over  the  hill  for  the  West.  Fortunately  for 
me  I  knew  the  wagon-master,  John  Willis,  and  as  soon  as  I  re 
covered  my  breath  I  told  him  what  had  happened. 

*'  Served  him  right,  Billy!"  said  he,  **  and  what's  more,  we'll 
go  over  and  clean  out  the  teacher." 

*'  Oh  no;  don't  do  that,"  said  I,  for  I  was  afraid  that  I  might 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  wounded  boy's  friends,  who  I  knew 
would  soon  be  looking  for  me. 

**  Well,  Billy,  come  along  with  me ;  I  am  bound  for  Fort 
Kearney ;  the  trip  will  take  me  forty  days.  I  want  you  for  a 
cavallard  driver. ' ' 

**  All  right,"  I  replied,  **  but  I  must  go  home  and  tell  mother 
about  it,  and  get  some  clothes." 

*' Well,  then,  to-night  after  we  make  our  camp,  I'll  go  back 
with  you." 

PURSUED  BY  THE  WOUNDED  BOY'S  FATHER. 

The  affray  broke  up  the  school  for  the  rest  of  the  day  as  the 
excitement  was  too  much  for  the  children.  Late  in  the  afternoon, 
after  the  train  had  moved  on  some  considerable  distance,  I  saw 
Steve's  father,  his  brother  Frank,  and  one  of  the  neighbors 
rapidly  approaching. 

**Mr.  Willis,  there  comes  old  Gobel,  with  Frank  and  some- 
body else,  and  they  are  after  me  —  what  am  I  going  to  do?"  I 
asked. 

*'  Let  'em  come,"  said  he,  '^  they  can't  take  you  if  I've  got 
anything  to  say  about  it,  and  I  rather  think  I  have.     Get  into 


38  STORY  OP  THE  WILD  WEST. 

one  of  the  wagons— keep  quiet  and  lay  low.    I'll  manage  this  little 
job.    Don't  you  fret  a  bit  about  it.'' 

I  obeyed  his  orders  and  felt  much  easier. 

Old  Gobely  Frank  and  the  neighbor  soon  came  up  and  inquifed 
for  me. 

^  He's  aroand  here  tomewhere,"  said  Mr.  Willis. 

"We  want  him,"  said  Gobel;  "he  stabbed  my  son  a  little  while 
ago,  and  I  want  to  arrest  him." 

^Well,  you  can't  get  him;  that  settles  it;  so  you  needn't  waste 
any  of  your  time  around  here,"  said  Willis. 

Gobel  continued  to  talk  for  a  few  minutes,  but  getting  no  greater 
satisfaction,  the  trio  returned  home. 

When  night  came,  Willis  accompanied  me  on  horseback  to  my 
home.  Mother,  who  had  anxiously  searched  for  me  everywhere — 
being  afraid  that  something  had  befallen  me  at  the  hands  of  the 
Gobels — was  delighted  to  see  me,  notwithstanding  the  difficulty 
in  which  I  had  become  involved.  I  at  once  told  her  that  at 
present  I  was  afraid  to  remain  at  home,  and  had  accordingly 
made  np  my  mind  to  absent  myself  for  a  few  weeks  or  months— 
at  least  until  the  excitement  should  die  out.  Mr.  Willis  said  to 
her  that  he  would  take  me  to  Fort  Kearney  with  him,  and  see 
that  I  was  properly  cared  for,  and  would  bring  me  back  safely  in 
forty  days. 

Mother  at  first  seriously  objected  to  my  going  on  this  trip,  fearing 
I  would  fall  into  the  hands  of  Indians.  Her  fears,  however,  were 
soon  overcome,  and  she  concluded  to  let  me  go.  She  fixed  me  up 
a  big  bundle  of  clothing  and  gave  me  a  quilt.  Kissing  her  and 
my  sisters  a  fond  farewell,  I  started  off  on  my  first  trip  across  the 
plains,  with  a  light  heart,  too,  notwithstanding  my  trouble  of  a  few 
hours  before. 

The  trip  proved  a  most  enjoyable  one  to  me,  although  no  incidents 
worthy  of  note  occurred  on  the  way.  On  my  return  from  Fori 
Kearney  I  was  paid  off  the  same  as  the  rest  of  the  employees.  The 
remainder  of  the  summer  and  &11 1  spent  in  herding  cattle  and  work- 
ing for  Russell,  Majors  <&  Waddell. 

I   finally   ventured    home — not   without   soooe   fear^    however. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP  BUFFALO   BILL,  39 

of  the  Gobel  family  —  and  was  delighted  to  learn  that  during 
my  absence  mother  had  had  an  interview  with  Mr.  Gobel,  and 
having  settled  the  difficulty  with  him,  the  two  families  had  be- 
come friends  again,  and  I  may  state,  incidentally,  that  they  ever 
^remained  so.  I  have  since  often  met  Stephen  Gobel,  and  we 
have  had  many  a  laugh  together  over  our  love  affair  and  the  af- 
fray at  the  school-house,  Mary  Hyatt,  the  innocent  cause  of  the 
whole  difficulty,  is  now  married  and  living  in  Chicago.  Thus 
ended  my  first  love  scrape. 

In  the  winter  of  1856-57  my  father,  in  company  with  a  man 
named  J.  C.  Boles,  went  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  organized  a  col- 
ony of  about  thirty  families,  whom  they  brought  to  Kansas  and 
located  on  the  Grasshopper.  Several  of  these  families  still  re- 
side there. 

It  was  during  this  winter  that  father,  after  his  return  from 
Cleveland,  caught  a  severe  cold.  This,  in  connection  with  the 
wound  he  had  received  at  Rively's  —  from  which  he  had  never 
entirely  recovered  —  affected  him  seriously,  and  in  April,  1857, 
he  died  at  home  from  kidney  disease. 

.  lis  sad  event  left  my  mother  and  the  family  in  poor  circum- 
stances, and  I  determined  to  follow  the  plains  for  a  livelihood 
for  them  and  myself.  I  had  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  work  under 
my  old  employers,  and  in  May,  1857,  I  started  for  Salt  Lake 
City  with  a  herd  of  beef  cattle,  in  charge  of  Frank  and  Bill  Mc- 
Carthy, for  General  Albert  Sidney  Johnston's  army,  which  was 
then  being  sent  across  the  plains  to  fight  the  Mormons. 

MY  FIRST  FIGHT  WITH  INDIANS. 

Nothing  occurred  to  interrupt  our  journey  until  we  reached  Plum 
Creek,  on  the  South  Platte  River,  thirty-five  miles  west  of  Old 
Fort  Kearney.  We  had  made  a  morning  drive  and  had  camped 
for  dinner.  The  wagon-masters  and  a  majority  of  the  men 
had  gone  to  sleep  under  the  mess  wagons ;  the  cattle  were  being 
guarded  by  three  men,  and  the  cook  was  preparing  dinner.  No 
one  had  any  idea  that  Indians  were  anywhere  near  us.  The  first 
warning  we  had  that  they  were  infesting  that  part  of  the  country 

^  n 


40  STORY  OF  THE   WILD  WEST. 

was  the  firing  of  shots  and  the  whoops  and  yells  from  a  party  oi 
them,  who,  catching  us  napping,  gave  us  a  most  unwelcome  sur- 
prise. All  the  men  jumped  to  their  feet  and  seized  their  guns. 
They  saw  with  astonishment  the  cattle  running  in  every  direction, 
they  having  been  stampeded  by  the  Indians,  who  had  shot  and 
killed  the  three  men  who  were  on  day-herd  duty,  and  the  red 
devils  were  now  charging  down  upon  the  rest  of  us. 

I  then  thought  of  mother's  fears  of  my  falling  into  the  hands 
of  the  Indians,  and  I  hrA  about  made  up  my  mind  that  such  was 
to  be  my  fate;  but  when  I  saw  how  coolly  and  determinedly  the 
McCarthy  brothers  were  conducting  themselves  and  giving  orders 
to  the  little  band,  I  became  convinced  that  we  would  <*  stand  the 
Indians  off,''  as  the  saying  is.  Our  men  were  all  well  armed  with 
Colt's  revolvers  and  Mississippi  yagers,  which  last  carried  a  bul- 
let, and  two  buckshots. 

The  McCarthy  boys,  at  the  proper  moment,  gave  orders  to 
fire  upon  the  advancing  enemy.  The  volley  checked  them,  al- 
though they  returned  the  compliment,  and  shot  one  of  our  party 
through  the  leg.  Frank  McCarthy  then  sang  out,  '*  Boys,  make 
a  break  for  the  slough  yonder,  and  we  can  then  have  the  bank 
for  a  breast-work." 

We  made  a  run  for  the  slough  which  was  only  a  short  distance 
off,  and  succeeded  in  safely  reaching  it,  bringing  with  us  the 
wounded  man.  The  bank  proved  to  be  a  very  effective  breast- 
work, affording  us  good  protection.  We  had  been  there  but  a 
short  time  when  Frank  McCarthy,  seeing  that  the  longer  we  were 
corraled  the  worse  it  would  be  for  us,  said:  — 

**  Well,  boys,  we'll  try  to  make  our  way  back  to  Fort  Kearnej 
by  wading  in  the  river  and  keeping  the  bank  for  a  breast- work." 

We  all  agreed  tnat  this  was  the  best  plan,  and  we  accordingly 
proceeded  down  the  river  several  miles  in  this  way,  managing  to 
keep  the  Indians  at  a  safe  distance  with  our  guns,  until  the  slough 
made  a  junction  with  the  main  Platte  River.  From  there  down 
we  found  the  river  at  times  quite  deep,  and  in  order  to  carry  the 
wounded  man  along  with  us,  we  constructed  a  raft  of  poles  for 
his  accommodation,  and  in  this  way  he  was  transported. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  41 

Occasionally  the  water  would  be  too  deep  for  us  to  wade,  and 
ive  were  obliged  to  put  our  weapons  on  the  raft  and  swim.  The 
Indians  followed  us  pretty  close,  and  were  continually  watching 
for  an  opportunity  to  get  a  good  range  and  give  us  a  raking  fire. 
Covering  ourselves  by  keeping  well  under  the  bank,  we  pushed 
ahead  as  rapidly  as  possible,  and  made  pretty  good  progress,  the 
night  finding  us  still  on  the  way  and  our  enemies  yet  on  our 
track. 

HOW   I  KILLED  MY  FIRST  INDIAN. 

I  being  the  youngest  and  smallest  of  the  party,  became  some- 
what tired,  and  without  noticing  it  I  had  fallen  behind  the  others 
for  some  little  distance.  It  was  about  ten  o'clock  and  we  were 
keeping  very  quiet  and  hugging  close  to  the  bank,  when  I  hap- 
pened to  look  up  to  the  moon-lit  sky  and  saw  the  plumed  head  of 
an  Indian  peeping  over  the  bank.  Instead  of  hurrying  ahead  and 
alarming  the  men  in  a  quiet  way,  I  instantly  aimed  my  gun  at  his 
head  and  fired.  The  report  rang  out  sharp  and  loud  on  the  night 
air,  and  was  immediately  followed  by  an  Indian  whoop,  and  the 
next  moment  about  six  feet  of  dead  Indian  came  tumbling  into 
the  river.  I  was  not  only  overcome  with  astonishment,  but  was 
badly  scared,  as  I  could  hardly  realize  what  I  had  done.  I  expected 
to  see  the  whole  force  of  Indians  come  down  upon  us.  While  I 
was  standing  thus  bewildered,  the  men,  who  had  heard  the  shot 
and  the  war-whoop  and  had  seen  the  Indian  take  a  tumble,  came 
rushing  back. 

«  Who  fired  that  shot?  "  cried  Frank  McCarthy. 

*'  I  did,"  replied  I,  rather  proudly,  as  my  confidence  returned 
and  I  saw  the  men  coming  up. 

**  Yes,  and  little  Billy  has  killed  an  Indian  stone-dead — too 
dead  to  skin,"  said  one  of  the  men,  who  had  approached  nearer 
than  the  rest,  and  had  almost  stumbled  upon  the  corpse.  From 
that  time  forward  I  became  a  hero  and  an  Indian  killer.  This 
was,  of  course,  the  first  Indian  I  had  ever  shot,  and  as  I  was  not 
then  more  than  eleven  years  of  age,  my  exploit  created  quite  a 
sensation. 

The  other  Indians,  upon  learning  what  had  happened  to  their 


42 


STORY   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 


advance  fired  several  shots  without  effect  but  which  hastened  our 
retreat  down  the  river.       We  reached  Fort  Kearney  just  as  th^ 


KILLING  MY   FIRST   INDIAN. 


reveille  was  being  sounded,  bringing  the  wounded  man  with  us. 
After  the  peril  through  which  we  had  passed  it  was  a  relief  to  feel 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL. 


43 


that  once  more  I  was  safe  after  such  a  dangerous  initiation. 

Frank  McCarthy  immediately  reported  to  the  commanding  offi- 
cer and  informed  him  of  all  that  had  happened.  The  command- 
ant at  once  ordered  a  company  of  cavalry  and  one  of  infantry  to 
proceed  to  Plum  Creek  on  a  forced  march — taking  a  howitzer 
with  them — to  endeavor  to  recapture  the  cattle  from  the  In- 
dians. 

The  firm  of  Eussell,  Majors  &  Waddell  had  a  division  agent  at 
Kearney,  and  this  agent  mounted  us  on  mules  so  that  we  could 
accompany  the  troops.  On  reaching  the  place  where  the  Indians 
had  surprised  us,  we  found  the  bodies  of  the  three  men  whom 
they  had  killed  and  scalped,  and  literally  cut  into  pieces.  We  of 
course  buried  the  remains.  We  caught  but  few  of  the  cattle; 
the  most  of  them  having  been  driven  off  and  stampeded  with 
the  buffaloes,  there  being  numerous  immense  herds  of  the  latter 
in  that  section  of  the  country  at  the  time.  The  Indians'  trail 
was  discovered  running  south  towards  the  Republican  river,  and 
the  troops  followed  it  to  the  head  of  Plum  creek,  and  there 
abandoned  it,  returning  to  Fort  Kearney  without  having  seen  a 
a  single  redskin. 

The  company's  agent,  seeing  that  there  was  no  further  use  for 
us  in  that  vicinity  —  as  we  had  lost  our  cattle  and  mules  —  sent 
us  back  to  Fort  Leavenworth.  The  company,  it  is  proper  to 
state,  did  not  have  to  stand  the  loss  of  the  expedition,  as  the 
government  held  itself  responsible  for  such  depredations  l\y  the 
Indians, 

On  the  day  that  I  got  into  Leavenworth,  sometime  in  July,  I 
was  interviewed  for  the  first  time  in  my  life  by  a  newspaper  re- 
porter, and  the  next  morning  I  found  my  name  in  print  as  **  the 
youngest  Indian  slayer  on  the  plains."  I  am  candid  enough  to 
admit  that  I  felt  very  much  elated  over  this  notoriety.  Again 
and  again  I  read  with  eager  interest  the  long  and  sensational  ac- 
count of  our  adventure.  My  exploit  was  related  in  a  very 
graphic  manner,  and  for  a  long  time  afterwards  I  was  considera- 
ble of  a  hero.    The  reporter  who  had  thus  set  me  up,  as  I  then 


44  STORY   OF  THE   WILD   WEST» 

thought,  on  the  highest  pinnacle  of  fame,  was  John  Hutchinson, 
and  I  felt  very  grateful  to  him.  He  now  lives  in  Wichita, 
Kansas. 

ON   THE   KOAD   TO   SALT  LAKE. 

In  the  following  summer  Eussell,  Majors  &  Waddell  entered 
upon  a  contract  with  the  government  for  transporting  supplies 
for  General  Albert  Sidney  Johnston's  army  that  was  sent  against 
the  Mormons.  A  large  number  of  teams  and  teamsters  were 
required  for  this  purpose,  and  as  the  route  was  considered  a  dan- 
gerous one,  men  were  not  easily  engaged  for  the  service,  though 
the  pay  was  forty  dollars  per  month  in  gold.  An  old  wagon  mas- 
ter named  Lew  Simpson,  one  of  the  best  that  ever  commanded  a 
bull-train,  was  upon  the  point  of  starting  with  about  ten  wagons 
for  the  company,  direct  for  Salt  Lake,  and  as  he  had  known  me 
for  some  time  as  an  ambitious  youth,  requested  me  to  accompany 
him  as  an  extra  hand.  My  duties  would  be  light,  and  in  fact  I 
would  have  nothing  to  do,  unless  some  one  of  the  drivers  should 
become  sick,  in  which  case  I  would  be  required  to  take  his  place. 
But  even  more  seductive  than  this  inducement  was  the  promise 
that  I  should  be  provided  with  a  mule  of  my  own  to  ride,  and  be 
subject  to  the  orders  of  no  one  save  Simpson  himself. 

The  offer  was  made  in  such  a  manner  that  I  became  at  once 
wild  to  go,  but  my  mother  interposed  an  emphatic  objection  and 
urged  me  to  abandon  so  reckless  a  desire.  She  reminded  me 
that  in  addition  to  the  fact  that  the  trip  would  possibly  occupy  a 
year,  the  journey  was  one  of  extreme  peril,  beset  as  it  was  by 
Mormon  assassins  and  treacherous  Indians,  and  begged  me  to  ac- 
cept the  lesson  of  my  last  experience  and  narrow  escape  as  a 
providential  warning.  But  to  her  pleadings  and  remonstrances  I 
returned  the  answer  that  I  had  determined  to  follow  the  plains  as 
an  occupation,  and  while  I  appreciated  her  advice  and  desired 
greatly  to  honor  her  commands,  yet  I  could  not  forego  my  deter- 
mination to  accompany  the  train. 

Seeing  that  it  was  impossible  to  keep  me  at  home,  she  reluc- 
tantly gave  her  consent,  but  not  until  she  had  called  upon  Mr. 
Russell  and  Mr.  Simpson  in  regard  to  the  matter,  and  had  ob- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL. 


45 


tained  from  the  latter  gentleman  his  promise  that  I  should  be  well 
taken  care  of,  if  we  had  to  winter  in  the  mountains.  She  did 
not  like  the  appearance  of  Simpson,  and  upon  inquiry  she  learned, 
to  her  dismay,  that  he  was  a  desperate  character,  and  that  on 
nearly  every  trip  he  had  made  across  the  plains  he  had  killed 
some  one.  Such  a  man,  she  thought,  was  not  a  fit  master  or 
companion  for  her  son,  and  she  was  very  anxious  to  have  me  go 
with  some  other  wagon-master  ;  but  I  still  insisted  upon  remain- 
ing with  Simpson. 


ON   THE    OVERLAND   TRAIL. 

**  Madam,  I  can  assure  you  that  Lew  Simpson  is  one  of  the 
most  reliable  wagon-masters  on  the  plains,'*  said  Mr.  Russell, 
"  and  he  has  taken  a  great  fancy  to  Billy.  If  your  boy  is  bound 
to  go,  he  can  go  with  no  better  man.  No  one  will  dare  to  im- 
pose on  him  while  he  is  with  Lew  Simpson,  whom  I  will  instruct 
to  take  good  care  of  the  boy.  Upon  reaching  Fort  Laramie, 
Billy  can,  if  he  wishes,  exchange  places  with  some  fresh  man 
coming  back  on  a  returning  train,  and  thus  come  home  without 
making  the  whole  trip." 

This  seemed  to  satisfy  mother,  and  then  she  had  a  long  talk 


46  STORY   OF  THE  WILD   WEST, 

with  Simpson  himself,  imploring  him  not  to  forget  his  promise 
to  take  good  care  of  her  precious  boy.  He  promised  everything 
that  she  asked.  Thus,  after  much  trouble,  I  became  one  of  the 
members  of  Simpson's  train.  Before  taking  our  departure,  I 
arranged  with  Russell,  Majors  &  Waddell  that  when  my  pay 
fell  due  it  should  be  paid  over  to  mother. 

DESCRIPTION   OF   THE  BULL-TRAIN  OUTFIT. 

As  a  matter  of  interest  to  the  general  reader,  it  may  be  well 
in  this  connection  to  give  a  brief  description  of  a  freight  train. 
The  wagons  used  in  those  days  by  Russell,  Majors  &  Waddell 
were  known  as  the  **  J.  Murphy  wagons,"  made  at  St.  Louis 
specially  for  the  plains  business.  They  were  very  large  and 
were  strongly  built,  being  capable  of  carrying  seven  thousand 
pounds  of  freight  each.  The  wagon-boxes  were  very  commodi- 
ous— being  about  as  large  as  the  rooms  of  an  ordinary  house  — 
and  were  covered  with  two  heavy  canvas  sheets  to  protect  the 
merchandise  from  the  rain.  These  wagons  were  generally  sent 
out  from  Leavenworth,  each  loaded  with  six  thousand  pounds  of 
freight,  and  each  drawn  by  several  yokes  of  oxen  in  charge  of 
one  driver.  A  train  consisted  of  twenty-five  wagons,  all  in  charge 
of  one  man,  who  was  known  as  the  wagon-master.  The  second 
man  in  command  was  the  assistant  wagon-master ;  then  came  the 
**  extra  hand,"  next  the  night  herder;  and  lastly,  the  cavallard 
driver,  whose  duty  it  was  to  drive  the  lame  and  loose  cattle. 
There  were  thirty-one  men  all  told  in  a  train.  The  men  did  their 
own  cooking,  being  divided  into  messes  of  seven.  One  man 
cooked,  another  brought  wood  and  water,  another  stood  guard, 
and  so  on,  each  having  some  duty  to  perform  while  getting  meals. 
All  were  heavily  armed  with  Colt's  pistols  and  Mississippi  ya- 
gers, and  every  one  always  had  his  weapons  handy  so  as  to  be 
prepared  for  any  emergency. 

The  wagon-master,  in  the  language  of  the  plains,  was  called 
the  **  bull-wagon  boss;  "  the  teamsters  were  known  as  '*  bull- 
whackers  ; "  and  the  whole  train  was  denominated  a  '*  bull-out- 
fit."    Everything  at  that  time  was  called  an  ''  outfit."     The  men 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  47 

of  the  plains  were  always  full  of  droll  humor  and  exciting  stories 
of  their  own  experiences,  and  many  an  hour  I  spent  in  listening 
to  the  recitals  of  thrilling  adventures  and  hair-breadth  escapes* 

THE  TRAIL. 

The  trail  to  Salt  Lake  ran  through  Kansas  northwestwardly, 
crossing  the  Big  Blue  River,  then  over  the  Big  and  Little  Sandy, 
coming  into  Nebraska  near  the  Big  Sandy.  The  next  stream  of 
any  importance  was  the  Little  Blue,  along  which  the  trail  ran  for 
sixty  miles;  then  crossed  a  range  of  sand-hills,  and  struck  the 
Platte  River  ten  miles  below  old  Fort  Kearney ;  thence  the  course 
lay  up  the  South  Platte  to  the  old  Ash  Hollow  Crossing,  thence 
eighteen  miles  across  to  the  North  Platte,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Blue  Water,  where  General  Harney  had  his  great  battle  in  1855 
with  the  Sioux  and  Cheyenne  Indians.  From  this  point  the 
North  Platte  was  followed,  passing  Court  House  Rock,  Chimney 
Rock  and  Scott's  Bluffs,  and  then  on  to  Fort  Laramie,  where  the 
Laramie  River  was  crossed.  Still  following  the  North  Platte  for 
some  considerable  distance,  the  trail  crossed  the  river  at  old 
Richard's  Bridge,  and  followed  it  up  to  the  celebrated  Red 
Buttes,  crossing  the  Willow  Creeks  to  the  Sweet  Water,  passing 
the  great  Independence  Rock  and  the  Devil's  Gate,  up  to  the 
Three  Crossings  of  the  Sweet  Water,  thence  past  the  Cold 
Springs,  where,  three  feet  under  the  sod,  on  the  hottest  day  of 
summer,  ice  can  be  found;  thence  to  the  Hot  Springs  and  the 
Rocky  Ridge,  and  through  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  Echo  Can- 
on, and  thence  on  to  the  great  Salt  Lake  Valley. 

In  order  to  take  care  of  the  business  which  then  offered,  the 
freight  for  transportation  being  almost  exclusively  government 
provisions,  Russell,  Majors  &  Waddell  operated  6,250  wagons, 
for  the  hauling  of  which  they  used  75,000  oxen,  and  gave  em- 
ployment to  8,000  men;  the  capital  invested  by  these  three 
freighters  was  nearly  $2,000,000.  In  their  operations,  involving 
such  an  immense  sum  of  money,  and  employing  a  class  of  labor- 
ers incomparably  reckless,  some  very  stringent  rules  were  adopted 
by  the  firm,  to  which  all  their  employees  were  made  to  subscribe. 

8S 


48  STORY  OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

In  this  code  of  discipline  was  the  following  obligation :   **  I, 

do  hereby  solemnly  swear,  before  the  Great  and  Living  God,  that 
during  my  engagement,  and  while  I  am  in  the  employ  of  Eus- 
sell.  Majors  &  "Waddell,  that  I  will  under  no  circumstances  use 
profane  language ;  that  I  will  drink  no  intoxicating  liquors  of 
any  kind ;  that  I  will  not  quarrel  or  fight  with  any  other  employee 
of  the  firm  and  that  in  every  respect  I  will  conduct  myself  hon- 
estly, be  faithful  to  my  duties,  and  so  direct  all  my  acts  as  wih 
will  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  my  employers,  so  help  me 
God." 

This  oath  was  the  creation  of  Mr.  Majors,  who  was  a  very 
pious  and  rigid  disciplinarian;  he  tried  hard  to  enforce  it,  but 
how  great  was  his  failure  it  is  needless  to  say.  It  would  have 
been  equally  profitable  had  the  old  gentleman  read  the  riot  act 
to  a  herd  of  stampeded  buffaloes.  And  he  believes  it  himself 
now. 

A   BUFFALO    STAMPEDE. 

Nothing  transpired  on  the  trip  to  delay  or  give  us  any  trouble 
whatever,  until  the  train  struck  the  South  Platte  River.  One 
day  we  camped  on  the  same  ground  where  the  Indians  had  sur- 
prised the  cattle  herd  in  charge  of  the  McCarty  brothers.  It 
was  with  difficulty  that  we  discovered  any  traces  of  anybody  ever 
having  camped  there  before,  the  only  landmark  being  the  single 
grave,  now  covered  with  grass,  in  which  we  had  buried  the  three 
men  who  had  been  killed.  The  country  was  alive  with  buffaloes. 
Vast  herds  of  these  monarchs  of  the  plains  were  roaming  all 
around  us,  and  we  laid  over  one  day  for  a  grand  hunt.  Besides 
killing  quite  a  number  of  buffaloes  and  having  a  day  of  rare 
sport,  we  captured  ten  or  twelve  head  of  cattle,  they  being  a 
portion  of  the  herd  which  had  been  stampeded  by  the  Indians 
two  months  before.  The  next  day  we  pulled  out  of  camp,  and 
the  train  was  strung  out  to  a  considerable  length  along  the  road 
which  ran  near  the  foot  of  the  sand-hills,  two  miles  from  the 
river.  Between  the  road  and  the  river  we  saw  a  large  herd  of 
buffaloes  grazing  quietly,  they  having  been  down  to  the  stream 
for  a  drink. 


AUTOBIOQRAPHr   OF  BUFFALO   BILL. 


49 


Just  at  this  time  we  observed  a  party  of  returning  Califor- 
nians  coming  from  the  west.  They,  too,  noticed  the  buffalo 
herd,  and  in  another  moment  they  were  dashing  down  upon  them, 
urging  their  steeds  to  the  greatest  speed.  The  buffalo  herd 
stampeded  at  once  and  broke  down  the  hills ;  so  hotly  were  they 
pursued  by  the  hunters 
that  about  five  hundred 
of  them  rushed  through 
our  train  pell-mell, 
frightening  both  men 
and  oxen .  Some  of  the 
wagons  were  turned 
clear  round,  and  many 
of  the  terrified  oxen 
attempted  to  run  to  the 
hills,  with  the  heavy  i 
wagons  attached  to 
them.  Others  turned  s^- 
around  so  short  that 
they  broke  the  wagon 
tongues  off.  Nearly  all 
the  teams  got  entangled 
in  their  gearing,  and 
became  wild  and  un-l 
ruly,  so  that  the  per- 
plexed drivers  were , 
unable  to  manage  them.  I 

The  buffaloes,  the 
cattle  and  the  drivers 
were  soon  running  in 
every  direction,  and 
the  excitement  upset  nearly  everybody  and  everything.  Many 
of  the  cattle  broke  their  yokes  and  stampeded.  One  big  buffalo 
bull  became  entangled  in  one  of  the  heavy  wagon-chains,  and  it 
is  a  fact  that  in  his  desperate  efforts  to  free  himself  he  not  only 
actually  snapped  the  strong  chain  in  two,  but  broke  the  ox-yoke 


THE   BUFFALO    STAMPEDE. 


50  STORY  OF    THE  WILD  WEST. 

to  .which  it  was  attached,  and  the  last  seen  of  him  he  was  running 
towards  the  hills  with  it  hanging  from  his  horns.  A  dozen  other 
equally  remarkable  incidents  happened  during  the  short  time 
that  the  frantic  buffaloes  were  playing  havoc  with  our  train,  and 
when  they  got  through  and  left  us  our  outfit  was  badly  crippled 
and  scattered.  This  caused  us  to  go  into  camp  and  spend  a  day 
in  replacing  the  broken  tongues  and  repairing  other  damages,  and 
gathering  up  our  scattered  ox-teams. 

CAPTURED   BY  DANriES. 

The  next  day  we  rolled  out  of  camp  and  proceeded  on  our  way 
towards  the  setting  sun.  Everything  ran  along  smoothly  with 
us  from  that  point  until  we  came  within  about  eighteen  miles  of 
Green  Kiver,  in  the  Eocky  Mountains  —  where  we  camped  at 
noon.  At  this  place  we  had  to  drive  our  cattle  about  a  mile  and 
a  half  to  a  creek  to  water  them.  Simpson,  his  assistant  George 
Woods  and  myself,  accompanied  by  the  usual  number  of  guards, 
drove  the  cattle  over  to  the  creek,  and  while  on  our  way  back  to 
camp  we  suddenly  observed  a  party  of  twenty  horsemen  rapidly 
approaching  us.  We  were  not  yet  in  view  of  our  wagons,  as  a 
rise  of  ground  intervened,  and  therefore  we  could  not  signal  the 
train-men  in  case  of  any  unexpected  danger  befalling  us.  We 
had  no  suspicion,  however,  that  we  were  about  to  be  trapped,  as 
the  strangers  were  white  men.  When  they  had  come  up  to  us, 
one  of  the  party,  who  evidently  was  the  leader,  rode  out  in  front 
and  said :  — 

'*  How  are  you,  Mr.  Simpson?  " 

*'  You've  got  the  best  of  me,  sir,"  said  Simpson,  who  did  not 
know  him. 

*'  Well,  I  rather  think  I  have,"  coolly  replied  the  stranger, 
whose  words  conveyed  a  double  meaning,  as  we  soon  learned. 
We  had  all  come  to  a  halt  by  this  time  and  the  strange  horsemen 
nad  surrounded  us.  They  were  all  armed  with  double-barreled 
shot  guns,  rifles  and  revolvers.  We  also  were  armed  with  re- 
volvers, but  we  had  had  no  idea  of  danger,  and  these  men,  much 
to  our  surprise,  had  **  got  the  drop  ^*  on  us  and  had  covered  us 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  51 

with  their  weapons,  so  that  we  were  completely  at  their  mercy. 
The  whole  movement  of  corraling  us  was  done  so  quietly  and 
quickly  that  it  was  accomplished  before  we  knew  it. 

**  I'll  trouble  you  for  your  six  shooters,  gentlemen,''  now  said 
the  leader. 

**  I'll  give  'em  to  you  in  a  way  you  don't  want,"  replied 
Simpson. 

The  next  moment  three  guns  were  leveled  at  Simpson.  '*  If 
you  make  a  move  you're  a  dead  man,"  said  the  leader. 

Simpson  saw  that  he  was  taken  at  a  great  disadvantage,  and 
thinking  it  advisable  not  to  risk  the  lives  of  the  party  by  any  rash 
act  on  his  part,  he  said;  *<  I  see  now  that  you  have  the  best  of 
me,  but  who  are  you,  anyhow?" 

**  I  am  Joe  Smith,"  was  the  reply. 

**  Whatl  the  leader  of  the  Danites?"  asked  Simpson. 

**  You  are  correct,"  said  Smith,  for  he  it  was. 

**  Yes,"  said  Simpson,  **  I  know  you  now;  you  are  a  spying 
scoundrel." 

Simpson  had  good  reason  for  calling  him  this  and  applying  to 
him  a  much  more  opprobrious  epithet,  for  only  a  short  time  be- 
fore this,  Joe  Smith  had  visited  our  train  in  the  disguise  of  a 
teamster,  and  had  remained  with  us  two  days.  He  suddenly  dis- 
appeared, no  one  knowing  where  he  had  gone  or  why  he  had 
come  among  us.  But  it  was  all  explained  to  us  now  that  he  had 
returned  with  his  Mormon  Danites.  After  they  had  disarmed 
us,  Simpson  asked,  **  Well,  Smith,  what  are  you  going  to  do 
with  us?" 

*'  Ride  back  with  us  and  I'U  soon  show  you,"  said  Smith. 

DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  TRAIN  BY  M0R3I0NS. 

We  had  no  idea  of  the  surprise  which  awaited  us.  As  we  came 
upon  the  top  of  the  ridge,  from  which  we  could  view  our 
camp,  we  were  astonished  to  see  the  remainder  of  the  train-men 
disarmed  and  stationed  in  a  group  and  surrounded  by  another 
squad  of  Danites,  while  other  Mormons  were  searching  our  wag- 
ons for  such  articles  as  they  wanted. 


52  STORY    OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

'*  How  is  this?*'  inquired  Simpson.  «*  How  did  you  surprise 
my  camp  without  a  struggle?     I  can't  understand  it." 

**  Easily  enough,"  said  Smith;  *'your  men  were  all  asleep 
under  the  wagons,  except  the  cooks,  who  saw  us  coming  and  took 
us  for  returning  Calif ornians  or  emigrants,  and  paid  no  attention 
to  us  until  we  rode  up  and  surrounded  your  train.  With  our 
arms  covering  the  men,  we  woke  them  up,  and  told  them  all 
they  had  to  do  was  to  walk  out  and  drop  their  pistols  —  which 
they  saw  was  the  best  thing  they  could  do  under  circumstances 
over  which  they  had  no  control  —  and  you  can  just  bet  they 
did  it." 

*'And  what  do  you  propose  to  do  with  us  now?"  asked  Simp- 
son. 

**  I  intend  to  burn  your  train,"  said  he;  «*  you  are  loaded  with 
supplies  and  ammunition  for  Sidney  Johnston,  and  as  I  have  no 
way  to  convey  the  stuff  to  my  own  people,  I'll  see  that  it  does 
not  reach  the  United  States  troops." 

*'Are  you  going  to  turn  us  adrift  here?"  asked  Simpson,  who 
was  anxious  to  learn  what  was  to  become  of  himself  and  his  men. 

"No;  I  am  hardly  so  bad  as  that.     I'll  give  you  enough  pro 
visions  to  last  you  until  you  can  reach  Fort  Bridger,"  repliei 
Smith  ;  *'  and  as  soon  as  your  cooks  can  get  the  stuff  out  of  tie 
wagons,  you  can  start." 

*'  On  foot?"  was  the  laconic  inquiry  of  Simpson. 

*'  Yes,  sir,"  was  the  equally  short  reply. 

"  Smith,  that's  too  rough  on  us  men.  Put  yourself  in  our 
place  and  see  how  you  would  like  it,"  said  Simpson;  *«  you  can 
well  afford  to  give  us  at  least  one  wagon  and  six  yokes  of  oxen 
to  convey  us  and  our  clothing  and  provisions  to  Fort  Bridger. 
You're  a  brute  if  you  don't  do  this." 

'*Well,"  said  Smith,  after  consulting  a  minute  or  two  with 
some  of  his  company,  **  I'll  do  that  much  for  you." 

The  cattle  and  the  wagon  were  brought  up  according  to  his 
orders,  and  the  clothing  and  provisions  were  loaded  on. 

**  Now  you  can  go,"  said  Smith,  after  everything  had  been  ar- 
ranged. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  53 

«*  Joe  Smith,  I  think  you  are  a  mean  coward  to  set  us  afloat  in 
a  hostile  country  without  giving  us  our  arms,*'  said  Simpson, 
who  had  once  before  asked  for  the  weapons,  and  had  had  his 
request  denied. 

Smith,  after  further  consultation  with  his  comrades,  said: 
*<  Simpson,  you  are  too  brave  a  man  to  be  turned  adrift  here 
without  any  means  of  defense.  You  shall  have  your  revolvers  and 
guns."  Our  weapons  were  accordingly  handed  over  to  Simpson, 
and  we  at  once  started  for  Fort  Bridger,  knowing  that  it  would 
be  useless  to  attempt  the  recapture  of  our  train. 

When'we  had  traveled  about  two  miles  we  saw  the  smoke  aris- 
ing from  our  old  camp.  The  Mormons  after  taking  what  goods 
they  wanted  and  could  carry  off,  had  set  fire  to  the  wagons,  many 
of  which  were  loaded  with  bacon,  lard,  hard-tack,  and  other  pro- 
visions, which  made  a  very  hot,  fierce  fire,  and  the  smoke  to  roll 
up  in  dense  clouds.  Some  of  the  wagons  were  loaded  with  am- 
munition, and  it  was  not  long  before  loud  explosions  followed  in 
rapid  succession.  We  waited  and  witnessed  the  burning  of  the 
train,  and  then  pushed  on  to  Fort  Bridger.  Arriving  at  this 
post,  we  learned  that  two  other  trains  had  been  captured  and  de- 
stroyed in  the  same  way,  by  the  Mormons.  This  made  seventy- 
five  wagon  loads,  or  450,000  pounds  of  supplies,  mostly  provis- 
ions, which  never  reached  General  Johnston's  command  to  which 
they  had  been  consigned. 

ON  THE  POINT   OF   STARVATION. 

After  reaching  the  fort,  it  being  far  in  November,  we  decided 
to  spend  the  winter  there  with  about  four  hundred  other  em- 
ployees of  Russell,  Majors  &  Waddell,  rather  than  attempt  a 
return,  which  would  have  exposed  us  to  many  dangers  and  the 
severity  of  the  rapidly  approaching  winter.  During  this  period 
of  hibernation,  however,  the  larders  of  the  commissary  became 
so  depleted  that  we  were  placed  on  one- quarter  rations,  and  at 
length,  as  a  final  resort,  the  poor,  dreadfully  emaciated  mules 
and  oxen  were  killed  to  afford  sustenance  for  our  famishing 
party. 


54  STORY   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

Fort  Bridger  being  located  in  a  prairie,  all  fuel  there  used  had 
to  be  carried  for  a  distance  of  nearlj  two  miles,  and  after  our 
mules  and  oxen  were  butchered  we  had  no  other  recourse  than  to 
carry  the  wood  on  our  backs  or  haul  it  on  sleds,  a  very  tedious 
and  laborious  alternative. 

Starvation  was  beginning  to  lurk  about  the  post  when  spring 
approached,  and  but  for  the  timely  arrival  of  a  westward-bound 
train  loaded  with  provisions  for  Johnston's  army  some  of  our 
party  must  certainly  have  fallen  victims  to  deadly  hunger. 

The  winter  finally  passed  away,  and  early  in  the  spring,  as  soon 
as  we  could  travel,  the  civil  employees  of  the  government,  with 
the  teamsters  and  freighters,  started  for  the  Missouri  River,  the 
Johnston  expedition  having  been  abandoned. 

On  the  way  down  we  stopped  at  Fort  Laramie,  and  there  met 
a  supply  train  bound  westward.  Of  course  we  all  had  a  square 
meal  once  more,  consisting  of  hard  tack,  bacon,  coffee  and  beans. 
I  can  honestly  say  that  I  thought  it  was  the  best  meal  I  had  ever 
eaten ;  at  least  I  relished  it  more  than  any  other,  and  I  think  the 
rest  of  the  party  did  the  same. 

On  leaving  Fort  Laramie,  Simpson  was  made  brigade  wagon- 
master,  and  was  put  in  charge  of  two  large  trains,  with  about  four 
hundred  extra  men,  who  were  bound  for  Fort  Leavenworth. 
When  we  came  to  Ash  Hollow,  instead  of  taking  the  usual  trail 
over  to  the  South  Platte,  Simpson  concluded  to  follow  the  North 
Platte  down  to  its  junction  with  the  South  Platte.  The  two 
trains  were  traveling  about  fifteen  miles  apart,  when  one  morn- 
ing while  Simpson  was  with  the  rear  train,  he  told  his  assistant 
wagon-master,  George  Woods  and  myself  to  saddle  up  our  mules, 
as  he  wanted  us  to  go  with  him  and  overtake  the  head  train. 

ATTACKED    BY  INDIANS. 

We  started  off  at  about  eleven  o'clock,  and  had  ridden  about 
seven  miles,  when  —  while  we  were  on  a  big  plateau,  back  of 
Cedar  Bluffs  —  we  suddenly  discovered  a  band  of  Indians  coming 
out  of  the  head  of  a  ravine,  half  a  mile  distant,  and  charging 
down  upon  us  at  full  speed.     I  thought  that  our  end  had  come  this 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  BUFFALO  BILL. 


55 


time.  Simpson,  however,  was  equal  to  the  occasion,  for  with 
tvonderful  promptness  he  jumped  from  hia  jaded  mule  and  in  a 
trice  shot  his  own  animal  and  ours  also  and  ordered  us  to  assist 
him  to  jerk  their  bodies  into  a  triangle.  This  being  quickly  done 
we  got  inside  the  barricade  of  mule  flesh  and  were  prepared  to 
receive  the  Indians.  We  were  each  armed  with  a  Mississippi 
yager  and  two  revolvers,  and  as  the  Indians  came  swooping  down 
on  our  improvised  fort  we  opened  fire  with  such  good  effect  that 
three  fell  dead   to  the  first  volley.     This  caused  them  to  re- 


HOLDING   THE    FORT. 

treat  out  of  range,  as  with  two  exceptions  they  were  armed  W7th 
bows  and  arrows  and  therefore  to  approach  near  enough  to  do 
execution  would  expose  at  least  several  of  them  to  certain  death. 
Seeing  that  they  could  not  take  our  little  fortification,  or  drive 
us  from  it,  they  circled  around  several  times,  shooting  their 
arrows  at  us.  One  of  these  struck  George  Wood  in  the  left 
shoulder,  inflicting  only  a  slight  wound,  however,  and  several 
lodged  in  the  bodies  of  the  dead  mules ;  otherwise  they  did  us  no 
harm.  The  Indians  finally  galloped  off  to  a  safe  distance,  where 
our  bullets  could  not  reach  theixbja»d  seemed  to  be  holding  a  coun- 


56  STORY    OF  THE   WILD   WEST.. 

cil.  This  was  a  lucky  move  for  us,  for  it  gave  us  an  opportunity 
to  reload  our  guns  and  pistols,  and  prepare  for  the  next  charge 
of  the  enemy.  During  the  brief  cessation  of  hostilities,  Simp- 
son extracted  the  arrow  from  Wood's  shoulder,  and  put  an  im- 
mense quid  of  tobacco  on  the  wound.  Wood  was  then  ready  for 
business  again. 

The  Indians  did  not  give  us  a  very  long  rest,  for  with  another 
desperate  charge,  as  if  to  ride  over  us,  they  came  dashing  towards 
the  mule  barricade.  We  gave  them  a  hot  reception  from  our 
yagers  and  revolvers.  They  could  not  stand  or  understand  the 
rapidly  repeating  fire  of  the  revolver,  and  we  checked  them  again. 
They  circled  around  once  more  and  gave  us  a  few  parting 
shots  as  they  rode  ofp,  leaving  behind  them  another  dead  Indian 
and  a  horse. 

For  two  hours  afterwards  they  did  not  seem  to  be  doing  any- 
thing but  holding  a  council.  We  made  good  use  of  this  time  by 
digging  up  the  ground  inside  the  barricade  with  our  knives  and 
throwing  the  loose  earth  around  and  over  the  mules,  and  we  soon 
had  a  very  respectable  fortification.  We  were  not  troubled  any 
more  that  day,  but  during  the  night  the  cunning  rascals  tried  to 
burn  us  out  by  setting  fire  to  the  prairie.  The  buffalo  grass  was 
so  short  that  the  fire  did  not  trouble  us  much,  but  the  smoke 
concealed  the  Indians  from  our  view,  and  they  thought  that  they 
could  approach  close  to  us  without  being  seen.  We  were  aware 
of  this  and  kept  a  sharp  look-out,  being  prepared  all  the  time  to 
receive  them.     They  finally  abandoned  the  idea  of  surprising  us. 

A   TIMELY   RESCUE. 

Next  morning,  bright  and  early,  they  gave  us  one  more  grand 
charge  and  again  we  ''  stood  them  off.'*  They  then  rode  away 
half  a  mile  or  so  and  formed  a  circle  around  us.  Each  man  dis- 
mounted and  sat  down,  as  if  to  wait  and  starve  us  out.  They 
had  evidently  seen  the  advance  train  pass  on  the  morning  of  the 
previous  day,  and  believed  that  we  belonged  to  that  outfit  and 
were  trying  to  overtake  it ;  they  had  no  idea  that  another  train 
was  on  its  way  after  us. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO    BILL.  57 

Our  hopes  of  escape  from  this  unpleasant  and  perilous  situation 
now  depended  upon  the  arrival  of  the  rear  train,  and  when  we 
saw  that  the  Indians  were  going  to  besiege  us  instead  of  renewing 
their  attacks,  we  felt  rather  confident  of  receiving  timely  assist- 
ance. We  had  expected  that  the  train  would  be  along  late  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  previous  day,  and  as  the  morning  wore  away 
we  were  somewhat  anxious  and  uneasy  at  its  non-arrival. 

At  last,  about  ten  o'clock,  we  began  to  hear  in  the  distance  the 
loud  and  sharp  reports  of  the  big  bull- whips,  which  were  handled 
with  great  dexterity  by  the  teamsters,  and  cracked  like  rifle 
shots.  These  were  as  welcome  sounds  to  us  as  were  the  notes 
of  the  bag-pipes  to  the  besieged  garrison  at  Lucknow,  when  the 
re-enforcements  were  coming  up  and  the  pipers  were  heard  play- 
ing, *'  The  Campbells  are  Coming."  In  a  few  moments  we  saw 
the  lead  or  head  wagon  coming  slowly  over  the  ridge,  which  had 
concealed  the  train  from  our  view,  and  soon  the  whole  outfit 
made  its  appearance.  The  Indians  observed  the  approaching 
train  and  assembling  in  a  group  they  held  a  short  consultation. 
They  then  charged  upon  us  once  more,  for  the  last  time,  and  as 
they  turned  and  dashed  away  over  the  prairie  we  sent  our  fare- 
well shots  rattling  after  them.  The  teamsters,  seeing  the  Indians 
and  hearing  the  shots,  came  rushing  forward  to  our  assistance, 
but  by  the  time  they  reached  us  the  red-skins  had  almost  disap- 
peared from  view.  The  teamsters  eagerly  asked  us  a  hundred 
questions  concerning  our  fight,  admired  our  fort  and  praised  our 
pluck.  Simpson's  remarkable  presence  of  mind  in  planning  the 
defense  was  the  general  topic  of  conversation  among  all  the  men. 

When  the  teams  came  up  we  obtained  some  water  and  bandages 
with  which  to  dress  Wood's  wound,  which  had  become  quite  in- 
flamed and  painful,  and  we  then  put  him  into  one  of  the  wagons. 
Simpson  and  myself  obtained  a  remount,  bade  good-bye  to  our 
dead  mules  which  had  served  us  so  well,  and  after  collecting  the 
ornaments  and  other  plunder  from  the  dead  Indians,  we  left  their 
bodies  and  bones  to  bleach  on  the  prairie.  The  train  moved  on 
again  and  we  had  no  other  adventures  except  several  exciting 
buffalo  hunts  on  the  South  Platte,  near  Plum  Creek. 


58  STORY   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

We  arrived  at  Fort  Leavenworth  about  the  middle  of  July, 
1858,  when  I  immediately  visited  home.  I  found  mother  in  very 
poor  health,  as  she  was  suffering  from  asthma.  My  oldest  sister, 
Martha,  had,  during  my  absence,  been  married  to  John  Crane, 
and  was  living  at  Leavenworth. 

ENGAGE  IN  TRAPPING. 

I  had  been  home  only  about  a  month,  after  returning  from 
Fort  Bridger,  when  I  again  started  out  with  another  train,  going 
this  time  as  assistant  wagon-master  under  Buck  Bomer.  We 
went  safely  through  to  Fort  Laramie,  which  was  our  destina- 
tion, and  from  there  we  were  ordered  to  take  a  load  of  supplies 
to  a  new  post  called  Fort  Wallace,  which  was  being  established 
at  Cheyenne  Pass.  We  made  this  trip  and  got  back  to  Fort  Lar- 
amie about  November  1st.  I  then  quit  the  employ  of  Kussell, 
Majors  &  Waddell,  and  joined  a  party  of  trappers  who  were 
sent  out  by  the  post  trader,  Mr.  Ward,  to  trap  on  the  streams  of 
the  Chugwater  and  Laramie  for  beaver,  otter,  and  other  fur  an- 
imals, and  also  to  poison  wolves  for  their  pelts.  We  were  out 
two  months,  but  as  the  expedition  did  not  prove  very  profitable, 
and  was  rather  dangerous  on  account  of  the  Indians,  we 
abandoned  the  enterprise  and  came  into  Fort  Laramie  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  December. 

Being  anxious  to  return  to  the  Missouri  River,  I  joined  with 
two  others,  named  Scott  and  Charley,  who  were  also  desirous  of 
going  East  on  a  visit,  bought  three  ponies  and  a  pack-mule,  and 
we  started  out  together.  We  made  rapid  progress  on  our  jour- 
ney, and  nothing  worthy  of  note  happened  until  one  afternoon, 
along  the  banks  of  the  Little  Blue  River,  we  spied  a  band  of  In- 
dians hunting  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream,  three  miles 
away.  We  did  not  escape  their  notice,  and  they  gave  us  a  lively 
chase  for  two  hours,  but  they  could  find  no  good  crossing,  and  as 
evening  came  on  we  finally  got  away  from  them. 

We  traveled  until  late  in  the  night,  when  upon  discovering  a 
low,  deep  ravine  which  we  thought  would  make  a  comfortable 
and  safe  camping-place,  we  stopped  for  a  rest.     In  searching 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  59 

for  a  good  place  to  make  our  beds,  I  found  a  hole,  and  called 
to  my  companions  that  I  had  found  a  fine  place  for  a  nest.  One 
of  the  party  was  to  stand  guard  while  the  others  slept.  Scott 
took  the  first  watch,  while  Charley  and  I  prepared  our 
beds. 

A  HORRIBLE  DISCOVERT. 

While  clearing  out  the  place  we  felt  something  rough,  but  as 
it  was  dark  we  could  not  make  out  what  it  was.  At  any  rate  we 
concluded  that  it  was  bones  or  sticks  of  wood  ;  we  thought  per- 
haps it  might  be  the  bones  of  some  animal  which  had  fallen  in 
there  and  died.  These  bones,  for  such  they  really  proved  to  be, 
we  pushed  one  side  and  then  we  lay  down.  But  Charley,  being 
an  inveterate  smoker,  could  not  resist  the  temptation  of  indulg- 
ing in  a  smoke  before  going  to  sleep.  So  he  sat  up  and  struck  a 
match  to  light  his  old  pipe.  Our  subterranean  bed-chamber  was 
thus  illuminated  for  a  moment  or  two ;  I  sprang  to  my  feet  in 
an  instant  for  a  ghastly  and  horrifying  sight  was  revealed  to  us. 
Eight  or  ten  human  skeletons  lay  scattered  upon  the  ground ! 

The  light  of  the  match  died  out,  but  we  had  seen  enough  to 
convince  us  that  we  were  in  a  large  grave,  into  which,  perhaps, 
some  unfortunate  emigrants,  who  had  been  killed  by  the  Indians, 
had  been  thrown;  or,  probably,  seeking  refuge  there,  they  had 
been  corraled  and  then  killed  on  the  spot.  If  such  were  the  case 
they  had  met  the  fate  of  thousands  of  others,  whose  friends  have 
never  heard  of  them  since  they  left  their  Eastern  homes  to  seek 
their  fortunes  in  the  far  West.  However,  we  did  not  care  to  in- 
vestigate this  mystery  any  further,  but  we  hustled  out  of  that 
chamber  of  death  and  informed  Scott  of  our  discovery.  Most  of 
the  plainsmen  are  very  superstitious,  and  we  were  no  exception 
to  the  general  rule.  We  surely  thought  that  this  incident  was 
an  evil  omen,  and  that  we  would  be  killed  if  we  remained  there 
any  longer. 

**  Let  us  dig  out  of  here  quicker  than  we  can  say  Jack  Robin- 
son," said  Scott;  and  we  began  to  '*  dig  out"  at  once.  We 
saddled  our  animals  and  hurriedly  pushed  forward  through  the 
darkness,  traveling  several*  miles  before  we  again   went  into 


60  STORY   OF   THE   WILD    WEST. 

camp.  Next  raorning  it  was  snowing  fiercely,  but  we  proceeded 
as  best  we  could,  and  that  night  we  succeeded  in  reaching  Oak 
Grove  ranch  which  had  been  built  during  the  summer.  We  here 
obtained  comfortable  accommodations  and  plenty  to  eat  and 
drink  —  especially  the  latter. 

Scott  and  Charley  were  great  lovers  and  consumers  of  **  tan- 
glefoot" and  they  soon  got  gloriously  drunk,  keeping  it  up  for 


AN  INCIDENT  OF  THE  BLOODT  YEAR  OF  '82. 

three  days,  during  which  time  they  gambled  with  the  ranchmen, 
who  got  away  with  all  their  money;  but  little  they  cared  for 
that,  as  they  had  their  spree.  They  finally  sobered  up,  and  we 
resumed  our  journey,  urging  our  jaded  animals  as  much  as  they 
could  stand,  until  we  struck  Marysville  on  the  Big  Blue.  From 
this  place  to  Leavenworth  we  secured  first-rate  accommodations 
along  the  road,  as  the  country  had  bec/ome  pretty  well  settled. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  61 

It  was  in  February,  1859,  that  I  got  home  As  there  was  now 
a  good  school  in  the  neighborhood,  taught  by  Mr.  Devinny,  my 
mother  wished  me  to  attend  it,  and  I  did  so  for  two  months  and 
a  half  —  the  longest  period  of  schooling  that  I  ever  received  at 
any  one  time  in  my  life.  As  soon  as  the  spring  came  and  the 
grass  began  growing,  I  became  uneasy  and  discontented,  and 
again  longed  for  the  free  and  open  life  of  the  plains. 

OFF   FOR   pike's   PEAK. 

The  Pike's  Peak  gold  excitement  was  then  at  its  height,  and 
everybody  was  rushing  to  the  new  gold  diggings.  I  caught  the 
gold  fever  myself,  and  joined  a  party  bound  for  the  new  town  of 
Auraria  on  Cherry  Creek,  afterwards  called  Denver,  in  honor  of 
the  then  Governor  of  Kansas.  On  arriving  at  Auraria  we  pushed 
on  to  the  gold  streams  in  the  mountains,  passing  up  through 
Golden  Gate  and  over  Guy  Hill,  and  thence  on  to  Black  Hawk. 
We  prospected  for  two  months,  but  as  none  of  us  knew  anything 
about  mining  we  met  with  very  poor  success,  and  therefore  con- 
cluded that  prospecting  for  gold  was  not  our  forte.  We  accordingly 
abandoned  the  enterprise  and  turned  our  faces  eastward  once  more. 

When  we  struck  the  Platte  Kiver,  the  happy  thought  of  con- 
structing a  small  raft  —  which  would  float  us  clear  to  the  Mis- 
souri and  thence  down  to  Leavenworth  — entered  our  heads,  and 
we  accordingly  carried  out  the  plan.  Upon  the  completion  of 
the  raft,  we  stocked  it  with  provisions  and  *'  set  sail"  down  the 
stream.  It  was  a  light  craft  and  a  jolly  crew,  and  all  was  smooth 
sailing  for  four  or  five  days. 

When  we  got  near  old  Julesburg  we  met  with  a  serious  mis- 
hap. Our  raft  ran  into  an  eddy,  and  quick  as  lightning  went  to 
pieces,  throwing  us  all  into  the  stream,  which  was  so  deep  that  we 
had  to  swim  ashore.  We  lost  everything  we  had,  which  greatly 
discouraged  us,  and  we  thereupon  abandoned  the  idea  of  rafting 
it  any  further.  We  then  walked  over  to  Julesburg,  which  was 
only  a  few  miles  distant.  This  ranch,  which  became  a  somewhat 
famous  spot,  had  been  established  by  **01d  Jules,"  a  French- 
man, who  was  afterwards  killed  by  the  notorious  Alf .  Slade. 


62  STORY    OF   THE    WILD   WEST, 


A  PONT  EXPRESS  RIDER. 


The  great  pony  express,  about  which  so  much  has  been  said 
and  written,  was  at  that  time  just  being  started.  The  line  was 
being  stocked  with  horses  and  put  into  good  running  condition. 
At  Julesburg  I  met  Mr.  George  Chrisman,  the  leading  wagon- 
master  of  Russell,  Majors  &  Waddell^  who  had  always  been  a  good 
friend  to  me.  He  had  bought  out  '<  Old  Jules,"  and  was  then 
the  owner  of  Julesburg  ranch,  and  the  agent  of  the  pony  express 
line.  He  hired  me  at  once  as  a  pony  express  rider,  but  as  I  was 
so  young  he  thought  I  was  not  able  to  stand  the  fierce  riding  which 
was  required  of  the  messengers.  He  knew,  however,  that  I  had 
been  raised  in  the  saddle  —  that  I  felt  more  at  home  there  than 
in  any  other  place  —  and  as  he  saw  that  I  was  confident  that  I 
could  stand  the  racket,  and  could  ride  as  far  and  endure  it  as  well 
as  some  of  the  old  riders,  he  gave  me  a  short  route  of  forty-five 
miles,  with  the  stations  fifteen  miles  apart,  and  three  changes  of 
horses.  I  was  required  to  make  fifteen  miles  an  hour,  including 
the  changes  of  horses.  I  was  fortunate  in  getting  well  broken 
animals,  and  being  so  light,  I  easily  made  my  forty-five  miles  on 
time  on  my  first  trip  out,  and  ever  afterwards. 

I  wrote  to  mother  and  told  her  how  well  I  liked  the  exciting 
life  of  a  pony  express  rider.  She  replied,  and  begged  of  me  to 
give  it  up,  as  it  would  surely  kill  me.  She  was  right  about  this, 
as  fifteen  miles  an  hour  on  horseback  would,  in  a  short  time, 
shake  any  man  *«  all  to  pieces;"  and  there  were  but  very  few, 
if  any,  riders  who  could  stand  it  for  any  great  length  of  time. 
Nevertheless,  I  stuck  to  it  for  two  months,  and  then,  upon  re* 
ceiving  a  letter  informing  me  that  my  mother  was  very  sick,  I 
gave  it  up  and  went  back  to  the  old  home  in  Salt  Creek  Valley. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL, 


63 


CHAPTER    m. 


ACCIDENTS   AND   ESCAPES. 

Y  restless,  roaming  spirit  would 
not  allow  me  to  remain  at  home 
very  long,  and  in  November, 
after  the  recovery  of  my  moth- 
er, I  went  up  the  Republican 
river  and  its  tributaries  on  a 
trapping  expedition  in  company 
with  Dave  Harrington.  Our 
outfit  consisted  of  one  wagon 
and  a  yoke  of  oxen  for  the 
transportation  of  provisions,  traps  and  other  necessaries.  We 
began  trapping  near  Junction  City,  Kansas,  and  then  proceeded 
up  the  Republican  River  to  the  mouth  of  Prairie  Dog  Creek, 
where  we  found  plenty  of  beavers. 

Having  seen  no  signs  of  Indians  thus  far,  we  felt  compara- 
tively safe.  We  were  catching  a  large  number  of  beavers  and 
were  prospering  finely,  when  one  of  our  oxen,  having  become 
rather  poor,  slipped  and  fell  upon  the  ice,  dislocating  his  hip,  so 
that  we  had  to  shoot  him  to  end  his  misery.  This  left  us  with- 
out a  team;  but  we  cared  little  for  that,  however,  as  we  had 
made  up  our  minds  to  remain  there  till  spring,  but  it  was  decided 
that  one  of  us  should  go  to  the  nearest  settlement  and  get  a  yoke 
of  oxen  with  which  to  haul  our  wagon  into  some  place  of  safety 
where  we  could  leave  it. 

We  would  probably  have  pulled  through  the  winter  all  right 
had  it  not  been  for  a  very  serious  accident  which  befell  me  just 
at  that  time.  Spying  a  herd  of  elk,  we  started  in  pursuit  of 
them,  and  creeping  up  towards  them  as  slyly  as  possible,  while 
going  around  the  bend  of  a  sharp  bluff  or  bank  of  the  creek  I 
slipped  and  broke  my  leg  just  above  the  ankle.     Notwithstanding 


64  STORY   OF  THE   TVILD   WEST. 

the  great  pain  I  was  suffering,  Harrington  could  not  help  laugh- 
ing when  I  urged  him  to  shoot  me,  as  he  had  the  ox,  and  thus 
end  my  misery.  He  told  me  to  **  brace  up,"  and  that  he  would 
bring  me  out  *  *  all  right .  * '  *  *  I  am  not  much  of  a  surgeon , '  *  said  he, 
**  but  I  can  fix  that  leg  of  yours,  even  if  I  haven't  got  a  diploma." 

He  succeeded  in  getting  me  back  to  camp,  which  was  only  a 
few  yards  from  the  creek,  and  then  he  set  the  fracture  as  well  as 
he  knew  how  and  made  me  as  comfortable  as  was  possible  under 
the  circumstances.  We  then  discussed  the  situation,  which,  to 
say  the  least,  looked  pretty  blue.  Knowing  that,  owing  to  our 
mishaps,  we  could  not  do  anything  more  that  winter,  and  as  I 
dreaded  the  idea  of  lying  there  on  my  back  with  a  broken  leg  for 
weeks,  and  perhaps  months,  I  prevailed  upon  Harrington  to  go  to 
the  nearest  settlement  —  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles 
distant  —  to  obtain  a  yoke  of  cattle  and  then  come  back  for  me. 

This  he  consented  to  do;  but  before  leaving  he  gathered 
plenty  of  wood,  and  as  the  ground  was  covered  with  snow,  I 
would  have  no  difficulty  in  getting  water  if  I  had  a  fire.  There 
was  plenty  of  fresh  meat  and  other  provisions  in  the  **  dug-out," 
so  that  I  had  no  fears  of  starvation.  The  **  dug-out,"  which 
we  had  built  immediately  after  we  had  determined  to  remain 
there  all  winter,  was  a  cosy  hole  in  the  ground,  covered  with 
poles,  grass  and  sod,  with  a  fire-place  in  one  end. 

Harrington  thought  it  would  take  him  twenty  days  or  more  to 
make  the  round  trip;  but  being  well  provided  for  —  for  this 
length  of  time  —  I  urged  him  to  go  at  once.  Bidding  me  good- 
bye, he  started  on  foot.  After  his  departure,  each  day,  as  it 
came  and  went,  seemed  to  grow  longer  to  me  as  Hay  there  help- 
less and  alone.  I  made  a  note  of  each  day,  so  as  to  know  the 
time  when  I  might  expect  him  back. 

A  DESPERATE  SITUATION. 

On  the  twelfth  day  after  Harrington  had  left  me  I  was  awak- 
ened from  a  sound  sleep  by  some  one  touching  me  upon  the 
shoulder.  I  looked  up  and  was  astonished  to  see  an  Indian  war- 
rior standing  at  my  side.  His  face  was  hideously  daubed  with 
paint  which  told  me  more  forcibly  than  words  could  have  done 


EAIN-IN-THE-FACE, 
ACCREDITED    SLAYER   OF   TOM   CUSTER. 


Photo  by  D.  F.  Barry. 


iUTOBIOGRAPHT   OP   BUFFALO   BILL.  65 

that  he  was  on  the  war-path.     He  spoke  to  me  in  broken  English 
and  Sioux  mixed,  and  I  understood  him  to  ask  what  I  was  doing 
there,  and  how  many  there  were  with  me. 
By  this  time  the  little  dug-out  was  nearly  filled  with  other  In- 


CHEEP   RAIN-IN-THE-FACE  SAVES  MY  LIFE. 

dians,  who  had  been  peeping  in  at  the  door,  and  I  could  hear 
voices  of  still  more  outside  as  well  as  the  stamping  of  horses.  I 
began  to  think  that  my  time  had  come,  as  the  saying  is,  when  into 
the  cabin  stepped  an  elderly  Indian,  whom  I  readily  recognized 
as  old  Rain-in-the-Face,  a  Sioux,  chief  from  the  vicinity  of  Fort 


66  STORY   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

Laramie.  I  rose  up  as  well  as  I  could  and  showed  him  my  broken 
leg.  I  told  him  where  I  had  seen  him,  and  asked  him  if  he  re- 
membered me.  He  replied  that  he  knew  me  well,  and  that  I 
used  to  come  to  his  lodge  at  Fort  Laramie  to  visit  him.  I  then 
managed  to  make  him  understand  that  I  was  there  alone  and 
having  broken  my  leg,  I  had  sent  my  partner  off  for  a  team  to 
take  me  away.  T  asked  him  if  his  young  men  intended  to  kill 
me,  and  he  answered  that  was  what  they  had  proposed  to  do, 
but  he  would  see  what  they  had  to  say. 

The  Indians  then  talked  among  themselves  for  a  few  minutes, 
and  upon  the  conclusion  of  the  consultation,  old  Eain-in-the-Face 
turned  to  me  and  gave  me  to  understand  that  as  I  was  yet  a 
"  papoose,"  or  a  very  young  man,  they  would  not  take  my  life. 
But  one  of  his  men  who  had  no  fire-arms  wanted  my  gun  and 
pistol.  I  implored  old  Rain-in-the-Face  to  be  allowed  to  keep 
the  weapons,  or  at  least  one  of  them,  as  I  needed  something  with 
which  to  keep  the  wolves  away.  He  replied  that  as  his  young 
men  were  out  on  the  war  path,  he  had  induced  them  to  spare  my 
life ;  but  he  could  not  prevent  them  from  taking  whatever  else 
they  wanted. 

They  unsaddled  their  horses  as  if  to  remain  there  for  some 
time,  and  sure  enough  they  stayed  the  remainder  of  the  day  and 
all  night.  They  built  a  fire  in  the  dug-out  and  cooked  a  lot  of 
my  provisions,  helping  themselves  to  everything  as  if  they  owned 
it.  However,  they  were  polite  enough  to  give  me  some  of  the 
food  after  they  had  cooked  it.  It  was  a  sumptuous  feast  that 
they  had,  and  they  seemed  to  relish  it  as  if  it  were  the  best  lay- 
out they  had  had  for  many  a  long  day.  They  took  all  my  sugar 
and  coffee,  and  left  me  only  some  meat  and  a  small  quantity  of 
flour,  a  little  salt  and  some  baking-powder.  They  also  robbed 
me  of  such  cooking  utensils  as  they  wished;  then  bidding  me 
good-bye,  early  in  the  morning,  they  mounted  their  ponies  and 
rode  off  to  the  south,  evidently  bent  on  some  murdering  and 
thieving  expedition. 

I  was  glad  enough  to  see  them  leave,  as  my  life  had  undoubt- 
edly hung  by  a  thread  during  their  presence.     I  am  confident  that 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  BUFFALO   BILL,  67 

had  it  not  been  for  my  youth  and  the  timely  recd'gnition  and  in- 
terference of  old  Rain-in-the-Face  they  would  have  killed  me 
without  any  hesitation  or  ceremony. 

The  second  day  after  the  Indians  left  it  began  snowing,  and  for 
three  long  and  weary  days  the  snow  continued  to  fall  thick  and 
fast.  It  blocked  the  door-way  and  covered  the  dug-out  to  the 
depth  of  several  feet,  so  that  I  became  a  snow-bound  prisoner. 
My  wood  was  mostly  under  the  enow,  and  it  was  with  great  diflS 
culty  that  I  could  get  enough  to  start  a  fire  with.  My  prospects 
were  gloomy  indeed.  I  had  just  faced  death  at  the  hands  of  the 
Indians,  and  now  I  was  in  danger  of  losing  my  life  from  starva- 
tion and  cold.  I  knew  that  the  heavy  snow  would  surely  delay 
Harrington  on  his  return ;  and  I  feared  that  he  might  have  per- 
ished in  the  storm,  or  that  some  other  accident  might  have  be- 
fallen him.  Perhaps  some  wandering  band  of  Indians  had  sur- 
prised and  killed  him. 

1  was  continually  thinking  of  all  these  possibilities,  and  I  must 
say  that  my  outlook  seemed  desperate.  At  last  the  twentieth 
day  arrived  —  the  day  on  which  Harrington  was  to  return — ^and 
I  counted  the  hours  from  morning  till  night,  but  the  day  passed 
away  with  no  signs  of  Harrington.  The  wolves  made  the  night 
hideous  with  their  howls ;  ihey  gathered  around  the  dug-out ;  ran 
over  the  roof;  and  pawed  and  scratched  as  if  trying  to  get  in. 

Several  days  and  nights  thus  wore  away,  the  monotony  all  the 
time  becoming  greater,  until  at  last  it  became  almost  unendurable. 
Some  days  I  would  go  without  any  fire  at  all,  and  eat  raw  frozen 
meat  and  melt  snow  in  my  mouth  for  water.  I  became  almost 
convinced  that  Harrington  had  been  caught  in  the  storm  and  had 
been  buried  under  the  snow,  or  was  lost.  Many  a  time  during 
that  dreary  period  of  uncertainty  I  made  up  my  mind  that  if  I 
ever  got  out  of  that  place  alive  I  would  abandon  the  plains  and 
the  life  of  a  trapper  forever.  I  had  nearly  given  up  all  hopes  of 
leaving  the  dug-out  alive. 

A   JOYOUS  MEETING, 

It  was  on  the  twenty-ninth  day,  while  I  was  lying  thus  de- 
spondently thinking  and  wondering,  that  I  heard  the  cheerfui 


68  8TORY   OF   THE   WILD   WEST 

sound  of  Harrington's  voice  as  he  came  slowly  up  the  creek, 
yelling,  * '  whoa  I  haw ! ' '  to' his  cattle.  A  criminal  on  the  scaffold, 
with  the  noose  around  his  neck,  the  trap  about  to  be  sprung,  and 
receiving  a  pardon  just  at  the  last  moment,  thus  giving  him  a 
new  lease  of  life,  could  not  have  been  more  grateful  than  I  was 
at  that  time.  It  was  useless  for  me  to  try  to  force  the  door  open , 
as  the  snow  had  completely  blockaded  it,  and  I  therefore  anx- 
iously awaited  Harrington's  arrival. 

"  Hello  I  Billy  1"  he  sang  out  in  a  loud  voice  as  he  came  up, 
he  evidently  being  uncertain  as  to  my  being  alive. 

*'  All  right,  Dave,"  was  my  reply. 

<«  Well,  old  boy,  you're  alive,  are  you?"  said  he. 

"  Yes;  and  that's  about  all.  I've  had  a  tough  siege  of  it  since 
you've  been  away,  and  I  came  pretty  nearly  passing  in  my  chips. 
I  began  to  think  you  never  would  get  here,  as  I  was  afraid  you 
had  been  snowed  under,"  said  I. 

He  soon  cleared  away  the  snow  from  the  entrance  and  open- 
inor  the  door  he  came  in,  I  don't  think  there  ever  was  a  more 
welcome  visitor  than  he  was.  I  remember  that  I  was  so  glad  to 
see  him  that  I  put  my  arms  around  his  neck  and  hugged  him  for 
five  minutes ;  never  shall  I  forget  faithful  Dave  Harrington, 

"Well,  Billy,  my  boy,  I  hardly  expected  to  see  you  alive 
again,"  said  Harrington,  as  soon  as  I  had  given  him  an  oppor- 
tunity to  draw  his  breath;  "I  had  a  terrible  trip  of  it,  and  1 
didn't  think  I  ever  would  get  through.  I  was  caught  in  the  snow- 
storm, and  was  laid  up  for  three  days.  The  cattle  wandered 
away,  and  I  came  within  an  ace  of  losing  them  altogether.  When 
I  got  started  again  the  snow  was  so  deep  that  it  prevented  me 
from  making  much  headway.  But  as  I  had  left  you  here  I  was 
bound  to  come  through,  or  die  in  the  attempt." 

Again  I  flung  my  arms  around  Dave's  neck  and  gave  him  a 
hug  that  would  have  done  honor  to  a  grizzly  bear.  My  gratitude 
was  thus  much  more  forcibly  expressed  than  it  could  have  been 
by  words.  Harrington  understood  this,  and  seemed  to  appreciate 
it.  The  tears  of  joy  rolled  down  my  cheeks,  and  it  was  impos* 
sible  for  me  to  restrain  them.     When  my  life  had  been  threatened 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   l>UFFALO    BILL.  69 

by  the  Indians  I  had  not  felt  half  so  miserable  as  when  1  lay  in 
the  dug-out  thinking  I  was  destined  to  die  a  slow  death  by  star- 
vation and  cold.  The  Indians  would  have  made  short  work  of  it, 
and  would  have  given  me  little  or  no  time  to  think  of  my  fate. 

I  questioned  Harrington  as  to  his  trip,  and  learned  all  the  de- 
tails. He  had  passed  through  hardships  which  but  few  men 
could  have  endured.  Noble  fellow,  that  he  was.  He  had  risked 
his  own  life  to  save  mine. 

After  he  had  finished  his  story,  every  word  of  which  I  had 
listened  to  with  eager  interest,  I  related  to  him  my  own  expe- 
riences, in  which  he  became  no  less  interested.  He  expressed 
great  astonishment  that  the  Indians  had  not  killed  me,  and  he 
considered  it  one  of  the  luckiest  and  most  remarkable  escapes  he 
had  ever  heard  of.  It  amused  me,  however,  to  see  him  get  very 
angry  when  I  told  him  that  they  had  taken  my  gun  and  pistol 
and  had  used  up  our  provisions.  *'  But  never  mind,  Billy,"  said 
he,  *«  we  can  stand  it  till  the  snow  goes  off,  which  will  not  be 
long,  and  then  we  will  pull  our  wagon  back  to  the  settlements." 

THE  RETURN  AND  DEATH  OF  HARRINGTON. 

A  few  days  afterwards  Harrington  gathered  up  our  traps,  and 
cleaned  the  snow  out  of  the  wagon.  Covering  it  with  the  sheet 
which  we  had  used  in  the  dug-out,  he  made  a  comfortable  bed 
inside,  and  helped  me  into  it.  We  had  been  quite  successful  in 
trapping,  having  caught  three  hundred  beavers  and  one  hundred 
otters,  the  skins  of  which  Harrington  loaded  on  the  wagon.  We 
then  pulled  out  for  the  settlements,  making  good  headway,  as  the 
snow  had  nearly  disappeared,  having  been  blown  or  melted  away , 
so  that  we  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  a  road.  On  the  eighth  day 
out  we  came  to  a  farmer's  house,  or  ranch,  on  the  Eepublican 
river,  where  we  stopped  and  rested  for  two  days,  and  then  went 
on  to  the  ranch  where  Harrington  had  obtained  the  yoke  of  cat- 
tle. We  gave  the  owner  of  the  team  twenty-five  beaver  skins, 
equal  to  $60,  for  the  use  of  the  cattle,  and  he  let  us  have  them 
until  we  reached  Junction  City,  sending  his  boy  with  us  to  bring 
them  back. 


70  STORY  OF   THE  WILD   WEST. 

At  Junction  City  we  sold  our  wagon  and  furs  and  went  with  a 
government  mule  train  to  Leavenworth  —  arriving  there  in  March, 
1860.  I  was  just  able  to  get  around  on  crutches  when  I  got  into 
Leavenworth,  and  it  was  several  months  after  that  before  I  en- 
tirely recovered  the  use  of  my  leg. 

During  the  winter  I  had  often  talked  to  Harrington  about  my 
mother  and  sisters,  and  had  invited  him  to  go  home  with  me  in 
the  spring.  I  now  renewed  the  invitation,  which  he  accepted, 
and  accompanied  me  home.  When  I  related  to  mother  my  ad- 
ventures and  told  her  how  Harrington  had  saved  my  life,  she 
thanked  him  again  and  again.  I  never  saw  a  more  grateful  wom- 
an than  she  was.  She  asked  him  to  always  make  his  home 
with  us,  as  she  never  could  reward  him  sufficiently  for  what  he 
had  done  for  her  darling  boy,  as  she  called  me.  Harrington  con- 
cluded to  remain  with  us  through  the  summer  and  farm  mother's 
land.  But  alas  1  the  uncertainty  of  life.  The  coming  of  death 
when  least  expected  was  strikingly  illustrated  in  his  case.  Dur- 
ing the  latter  part  of  April  he  went  to  a  nursery  for  some  trees, 
and  while  coming  home  late  at  night  he  caught  a  severe  cold  and 
was  taken  seriously  sick,  with  lung  fever.  Mother  did  everything 
in  her  power  for  him.  She  could  not  have  done  more  had  he 
been  her  own  son,  but  notwithstanding  her  motherly  care  and 
attention,  and  the  skill  of  a  physician  from  Leavenworth,  he 
rapidly  grew  worse.  It  seemed  hard,  indeed,  to  think  that  a 
great  strong  man  like  Harrington,  who  had  braved  the  storms 
and  endured  the  other  hardships  of  the  plains  all  winter  long, 
«ihould,  during  the  warm  and  beautiful  days  of  spring,  when  sur- 
iviinded  by  friends  and  the  comforts  of  a  good  home,  be  fatally 
stricken  down.  But  such  was  his  fate.  He  died  one  week  from 
the  day  on  which  he  was  taken  sick.  We  all  mourned  his  loss  as 
we  would  that  of  a  loved  son  or  brother,  as  he  was  one  of  the 
truest,  bravest,  and  best  of  friends.  Amid  sorrow  and  tears  we 
laid  him  away  to  rest  in  a  picturesque  spot  on  Pilot  Knob.  His 
death  cast  a  gloom  over  our  household,  and  it  was  a  lon^  time 
before  it  was  entirely  dispelled.  I  felt  very  lonely  without  Jtiai- 
rington,  and  I  soon  wished  for  e  chancre  of  scene  again. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF   BUFFALO   BILL« 


71 


CHAPTER    IV. 

ADVEinrURES  ON  THE  OVERLAND  BOAD. 

the  warm  days  of  summer  approached 
I  longed  for  the  cool  air  of  the  moun- 
tains ;  and  to  the  mountains  I  determined 
to  go.  After  engaging  a  man  to  take 
care  of  the  farm,  I  proceeded  to  Leaven- 
worth and  there  met  my  old  wagon-master 
and  friend,  Lewis  Simpson,  who  was 
fitting  out  a  train  at  Atchison  and  load- 
ing it  with  supplies  for  the  Overland 
Stage  Company,  of  which  Mr.  Eussell, 
V''  my  old  employer,  was  one  of  the  propri- 

etors.    Simpson  was  going  with  this  train  to  Fort  Laramie  and 
points  further  west. 

"  Come  along  with  me,  Billy,"  said  he,  **  I'll  give  you  a  good 
lay-out.     I  want  you  with  me." 

'*  I  don't  know  that  I  would  like  to  go  so  far  west  as  that 
again,"  I  replied,  ««  but  I  do  want  to  ride  the  pony  express  once 
more;  there's  some  life  in  that." 

"  Yes,  that's  so  ;  but  it  will  soon  shake  the  life  out  of  you,'' 
said  he.  '*  However,  if  that's  what  you've  got  your  mind  set 
on,  you  had  better  come  to  Atchison  with  me  and  see  Mr.  Rus' 
sell,  who  I'm  pretty  certain  will  give  you  a  situation." 

I  replied  that  I  would  do  that.  I  then  went  home  and  in- 
formed mother  of  my  intention,  and  as  her  health  was  very  poor 
I  had  great  difficulty  in  obtaining  her  consent.  I  finally  con- 
vinced her  that  as  I  was  of  no  use  on  the  farm,  it  would  b6  bet- 
ter and  more  profitable  for  me  to  return  to  the  plains.  So  after 
giving  her  all  the  money  I  had  earned  by  trapping,  I  bade  her 
good-bye  and  set  out  for  Atchison. 

I  met  Mr.  Russeil  there  and  asked  him  for  employment  as  a 
pony  express-rider;  he  gave  me  a  letter  to  Mr.  Slade,  who  was 


72  STORY  OP  THE  WILD   WEST. 

then  the  stage  agent  for  the  division  extending  from  Jules^ 
burg  to  Rocky  Ridge.  Slade  had  his  headquarters  at  Horseshoe 
Station,  thirty-six  miles  west  of  Fort  Laramie,  and  I  made  the  trip 
thither  in  company  with  Simpson  and  his  train. 

Almost  the  very  first  person  I  saw  after  dismounting  from  my 
horse  was  Slade.  I  walked  up  to  hin?  and  presented  Mr.  Rus- 
sell's letter,  which  he  hastily  opened  and  read.  With  a  sweeping 
glance  of  his  eye  he  took  my  measure  from  head  to  foot,  and 
then  said :  — 

**  My  boy,  you  are  too  young  for  a  pony  express-rider.  It 
takes  men  for  that  business." 

**I  rode  two  months  last  year  on  Bill  Trotter's  division,  sir, 
and  filled  the  bill  then;  and  I  think  I  am  better  able  to  ride 
now,"  said  I. 

"What!  are  you  the  boy  that  was  riding  there,  and  was  called 
the  youngest  rider  on  the  road?" 

«*  I  am  the  same  boy,"  I  replied,  confident  that  everything 
was  now  all  right  for  me. 

**  I  have  heard  of  you  before.  You  are  a  year  or  so  older  now, 
and  I  think  you  can  stand  it.  I'll  give  you  a  trial  anyhow  and 
if  you  weaken  you  can  come  back  to  Horse  Shoe  Station  and  tend 
stock." 

That  ended  our  first  interview.  The  next  day  he  assigned  me 
to  duty  on  the  road  from  Red  Buttes  on  the  North  Platte,  to  the 
Three  Crossings  of  the  Sweetwater — a  distance  of  seventy-six 
miles  —  and  I  began  riding  at  once.  It  was  a  long  piece  of  road, 
but  I  was  equal  to  the  undertaking;  and  soon  afterwards  had  an 
opportunity  to  exhibit  my  power  of  endurance  as  a  pony  express- 
rider. 

One  day  when  I  galloped  into  Three  Crossings,  my  home  sta- 
tion, I  found  that  the  rider  who  was  expected  to  take  the  trip 
out  on  my  arrival,  had  gotten  into  a  drunken  row  the  night  be- 
fore and  been  killed.  This  left  that  division  without  a  rider  and 
as  it  was  very  difficult  to  engage  men  for  the  service  in  that  un- 
inhabited region,  the  superintendent  requested  me  to  make  the 
trip  until  another  rider  could  be  secured.     The  distance  to  the 


AUTOBIOGKAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  73 

next  station,  Rocky  Ridge,  was  eighty-five  miles  and  through  a 
very  bad  and  dangerous  country,  but  the  emergency  was  great 
and  I  concluded  to  try  it.  I  therefore  started  promptly  from 
Three  Crossings  without  more  than  a  moment's  rest  and  pushed  on 
with  usual  rapidity,  entering  every  relay  station  on  time  and  ac- 
complishing the  round  trip  of  three  hundred  and  twenty-two  miles 
back  to  Red  Buttes  without  a  single  mishap  and  on  time.  This 
stands  on  the  records  as  being  the  longest  pony  express  journey 
ever  made. 

PURSUED   BY   INDIANS. 

A  week  after  making  this  trip,  and  while  passing  over  the 
route  again,  I  was  jumped  by  a  band  of  Sioux  Indians  who 
dashed  out  from  a  sand  ravine  nine  miles  west  of  Horse  creek. 
They  were  armed  with  pistols  and  gave  me  a  close  call  with  several 
bullets,  but  it  fortunately  happened  that  I  was  mounted  on  the 
fleetest  horse  belonging  to  the  Express  Company,  and  one  that 
was  possessed  of  remarkable  endurance.  Being  cut  off  from  re- 
treat back  to  Horse  Shoe,  I  put  spurs  to  my  horse,  and  lying  flat 
on  his  back,  kept  straight  for  Sweetwater,  the  next  station, 
which  I  reached  without  accident,  having  distanced  my  pursuers. 
Upon  reaching  that  place,  however,  I  found  a  sorry  condition  of 
affairs,  as  the  Indians  had  made  a  raid  on  the  station  the  morn- 
ing of  my  adventure  with  them,  and  after  killing  the  stock-tender 
had  driven  off  all  the  horses,  so  that  I  was  unable  to  get  a  re- 
mount. I  therefore  continued  onto  Ploutz's  Station  —  twelve 
miles  further  —  thus  making  twenty- four  miles  straight  run  with 
one  horse.  I  told  the  people  at  Ploutz's  what  had  happened  a'i. 
Sweetwater  Bridge,  and  with  a  fresh  horse  went  on  and  finished 
\he  trip  without  any  further  adventure. 

ATTACK  ON  A  STAGE  COACH. 

About  the  middle  of  September  the  Indians  became  very 
troublesome  on  the  line  of  the  stage  road  along  the  Sweetwater. 
Between  Split  Rock  and  Three  Crossings  they  robbed  a  stage, 
killed  the  driver  and  two  passengers,  and  badly  wounded  Lieut. 
Flowers,  the  assistant  division  agent.     The  red-skinned  thievea 


74 


STORY   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 


also  drove  off  the  stock  from  the  different  stations,  and  were 
continually  lying  in  wait  for  the  passing  stages  and  pony  express 


riders,  so  that  we  had  to  take  many  desperate  chances  in  running 
the  gauntlet. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  75 

The  Indians  had  now  become  so  bad  and  had  stolen  so  much 
stock  that  it  was  decided  to  stop  the  pony  express  for  at  least  six 
weeks,  and  to  run  the  stages  only  occasionally  during  that  period  ; 
in  fact,  it  would  have  been  almost  impossible  to  have  continued 
the  enterprise  much  longer  without  restocking  the  line. 

While  we  were  thus  nearly  all  lying  idle,  a  party  was  organized 
to  go  out  and  search  for  stolen  stock.  This  party  was  composed 
of  stage-drivers,  express-riders,  stock-tenders,  and  ranchmen — 
forty  of  them  altogether  —  and  they  were  w^ell-armed  and  well- 
mounted.  They  w^ere  mostly  men  who  had  undergone  all  kinds 
of  hardships  and  braved  every  danger,  and  they  were  ready  and 
anxious  to  **  tackle"  any  number  of  Indians.  Wild  Bill  (who 
had  been  driving  stage  on  the  road  and  had  recently  come  down 
to  our  division)  was  elected  captain  of  the  company. 

It  was  supposed  that  the  stolen  stock  had  been  taken  to  the 
head  of  Powder  river  and  vicinity,  and  the  party,  of  which  I  was 
a  member,  started  out  for  that  section  in  high  hopes  of  success. 

Twenty  miles  out  from  Sweetwater  Bridge,  at  the  head  of 
Horse  creek,  we  found  an  Indian  trail  running  north  towards 
Powder  river,  and  we  could  see  by  the  tracks  that  most  of  the 
horses  had  been  recently  shod  and  were  undoubtedly  our  stolen 
stage-stock.  Pushing  rapidly  forward,  we  followed  this  trail  to 
Powder  river ;  thence  down  this  stream  to  within  about  forty 
miles  of  the  spot  where  old  Fort  Keno  now  stands.  Here  the 
trail  took  a  more  westerly  course  along  the  foot  of  the  mountains, 
leading  eventually  to  Crazy  Woman's  fork  —  a  tributary  of 
Powder  river.  At  this  point  we  discovered  that  the  party  whom 
we  were  trailing  had  been  joined  by  another  band  of  Indians,  and, 
judging  from  the  fresh  appearance  of  the  trail,  the  united  body 
could  not  have  left  this  spot  more  than  twenty- lour  hours  before. 

A  CHARGE  THROUGH  THE  INDIAN   CAMP. 

Being  aware  that  we  were  now  in  the  heart  of  the  hostile  coun- 
try and  might  at  any  moment  find  more  Indians  than  we  had 
**  lost,"  we  advanced  with  more  caution  than  Usual  and  kept  a 
sharp  lookout.     As  we  were  approaching  Clear  creek,  another 


76  STORY   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

tributary  of  Powder  river,  we  discovered  Indians  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  creek,  some  three  miles  distant ;  at  least  we  saw  horses 
grazing  which  was  a  sure  sign  that  there  were  Indians  there. 

The  Indians  thinking  themselves  in  comparative  safety  —  never 
before  having  been  followed  so  far  into  their  own  country  by 
white  men  —  had  neglected  to  put  out  any  scouts.  They  had  no 
idea  that  there  were  any  white  men  in  that  part  of  the  country. 
Wq  got  the  lay  of  their  camp,  and  then  held  a  council  to  consider 
and  mature  a  plan  for  capturing  it.  We  knew  full  well  that  the 
Indians  would  outnumber  us  at  least  three  to  one,  and  perhaps 
more.  Upon  the  advice  and  suggestion  of  Wild  Bill,  it  was 
finally  decided  that  we  should  wait  until  it  was  nearly  dark,  and 
then,  after  creeping  as  close  to  them  as  possible,  make  a  dash 
through  their  camp,  open  a  general  fire  on  them,  and  then  stam- 
pede the  horses. 

This  plan,  at  the  proper  time,  was  most  successfully  executed. 
The  dash  upon  the  enemy  was  a  complete  surprise  to  them. 
They  were  so  overcome  with  astonishment  that  they  did  not  know 
what  to  make  of  it.  We  could  not  have  astounded  them  any  more 
had  we  dropped  down  into  their  camp  from  the  clouds.  They  did 
not  recover  from  the  surprise  of  this  sudden  charge  until  after 
we  had  ridden  pell-mell  through  their  camp  and  got  away  with 
our  own  horses  as  well  as  theirs.  We  at  once  circled  the  horses 
around  towards  the  south,  and  after  getting  them  on  the  south 
side  of  Clear  creek,  some  twenty  of  our  men  —  just  as  the  dark- 
ness was  coming  on  —  rode  back  and  gave  the  Indians  a  few  part- 
ing shots.  We  then  took  up  our  line  of  march  for  Sweetwater 
Bridge,  where  we  arrived  four  days  afterwards  with  all  our  own 
horses  and  about  one  hundred  captured  Indian  ponies. 

A  GENERAL  DRUNK  BUT  ONLY  ONE  MURDER. 

The  expedition  had  proved  a  gi'and  success,  and  the  event  was 
celebrated  in  the  usual  manner  —  by  a  grand  spree.  The  only 
store  at  Sweetwater  Bridge  did  a  rushing  business  for  several 
days.  The  returned  stock -hunters  drank  and  gambled  and 
fought.     The  Indian  ponies,  which  had  been  distributed  among 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  77 

the  captors,  passed  from  hand  to  hand  at  almost  every  deal  of 
the  cards.  There  seemed  to  be  no  limit  to  the  rioting  and  ca- 
rousing; revelry  reigned  supreme.  On  the  third  day  of  the 
orgie,  Slade,  who  had  heard  the  news,  came  up  to  the  bridge  and 
took  a  hand  in  the  **  fun,''  as  it  was  called.  To  add  some  varia- 
tion and  excitement  to  the  occasion,  Slade  got  into  a  quarrel  with 
a  stage-driver  and  shot  him,  killing  him  almost  instantly. 

The  **boys"  became  so  elated  as  well  as  **  elevated''  over 
their  success  aojainst  the  Indians  that  most  of  them  were  in  favor 
of  going  back  and  cleaning  out  the  whole  Indian  race.  One  old 
driver  especially,  Dan  Smith,  was  eager  to  open  a  war  on  all  the 
hostile  nations,  and  had  the  drinking  been  continued  another 
week  he  certainly  would  have  undertaken  the  job,  single-handed 
and  alone.  The  spree  finally  came  to  an  end;  the  men  sobered 
down  and  abandoned  the  idea  of  a^ain  invadinoc  the  hostile  coun- 
try.  The  recovered  horses  were  replaced  on  the  road  and  the 
stages  and  pony  express  again  began  running  on  time. 

Slade,  having  taken  a  great  fancy  to  me,  said:  **  Billy,  I  want 
you  to  come  down  to  my  headquarters,  and  I'll  make  you  a  sort 
of  supernumerary  rider,  and  send  you  out  only  when  it  is  neces- 
sary." 

A   HUNT   FOR   BEAR. 

I  accepted  the  offer  and  went  with  him  down  to  Horseshoe, 
where  I  had  a  comparatively  easy  time  of  it.  I  had  always  been 
fond  of  hunting,  and  I  now  had  a  good  opportunity  to  gratify 
my  ambition  in  that  direction,  as  I  had  plenty  of  spare  time  on 
my  hands.  In  this  connection  I  will  relate  one  of  my  bear-hunt- 
ing adventures.  One  day,  when  I  had  nothing  else  to  do,  I 
saddled  up  an  extra  pony  express  horse,  and  arming  myself  with 
a  good  rifle  and  pair  of  revolvers,  struck  out  for  the  foot-hills  of 
Laramie  Peak  for  a  bear-hunt.  Riding  carelessly  along,  and 
breathing  the  cool  and  bracijig  autumn  air  which  came  down  from 
the  mountains,  I  felt  as  only  a  man  can  feel  who  is  roaming  over 
the  prairies  of  the  far  West,  well  armed  and  mounted  on  a  fleet 
and  gallant  steed.  The  perfect  freedom  which  he  enjoyn  is  in 
itself  a  refreshing  stimulant  to  the  mind  as  well  as  to  th€  body. 


78  STORY   or  THE  WIL1>    WEST. 

Such  indeed  were  my  feelings  on  this  beautiful  day  as  J  rode  up 
the  valley  of  the  Horseshoe,  Occasionally  I  scared  up  a  flock 
of  sage-hens  or  a  jack-rabbit.  Antelopes  and  deer  were  aln^ost 
always  in  sight  in  any  direction,  but  as  they  were  not  tb3  kind 
of  game  I  was  after  on  that  day  I  passed  them  by  and  k  3pt  on 
towards  the  hio-her  mountains.  The  further  I  rode  the  rouQjher 
and  wilder  became  the  country,  and  I  knew  that  I  was  approach- 
ing the  haunts  of  the  bear.  I  did  not  discover  any,  however, 
although  I  saw  plenty  of  tracks  in  the  snow. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  my  horse  having  become 
tired,  and  myself  being  rather  weary,  I  shot  a  sage-hen  and,  dis- 
mounting, I  unsaddled  my  horse  and  tied  him  to  a  small  tree, 
where  he  could  easily  feed  on  the  mountain  grass.  I  then  built 
a  little  fire,  and  broiling  the  chicken  and  seasoning  it  with  salt 
and  pepper,  which  I  had  obtained  from  my  saddle-bags,  I  soon 
sat  down  to  a  "  genuine  square  meal,''  which  I  greatly  relished. 

After  resting  for  a  couple  of  hours,  I  remounted  and  resumed 
my  upward  trip  to  the  mountain,  having  made  up  my  mind  to 
camp  out  that  night  rather  than  go  back  without  a  bear,  which 
my  friends  knew  I  had  gone  out  for.  As  the  days  were  growing 
short,  night  soon  came  on,  and  I  looked  around  for  a  suitable 
camping  place.  While  thus  engaged,  I  scared  up  a  flock  of  sage- 
hens,  two  of  which  I  shot,  intending  to  have  one  for  supper  and 
the  other  for  breakfast. 

By  this  time  it  was  becoming  quite  dark,  and  I  rode  down  to 
one  of  the  little  mountain  streams,  where  I  found  an  open  place 
in  the  timber  suitable  for  a  camp.  I  dismounted,  and  after  un- 
saddling my  horse  and  hitching  him  to  a  tree,  I  prepared  to  start 
a  fire.  Just  then  I  was  startled  by  hearing  a  horse  whinnying 
further  up  the  stream.  It  was  quite  a  surprise  to  me,  and  I  im- 
mediately ran  to  my  animal  to  keep  him  from  answering,  as 
horses  usually  do  in  such  cases.  I  thought  that  the  strange  horse 
might  belong  to  some  roaming  band  of  Indians,  as  I  knew  of  no 
white  men  being  in  that  portion  of  the  country  at  that  time.  I 
was  certain  that  the  owner  of  the  strange  horse  could  not  be  fai 
distant,  and  I  was  very  anxious  to  find  out  who  my  neighbor  was, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFADvi   BILL.  79 

before  letting  him  know  that  I  was  in  his  vicinity.  I  therefore 
re-saddled  my  horse,  and  leaving  him  tied  so  that  I  could  easily 
reach  him  I  took  my  gun  and  started  out  on  a  scouting  expedition 
up  the  stream.  I  had  gone  about  four  hundred  yards  when,  in 
a  bend  of  the  stream,  I  discovered  ten  or  fifteen  horses  grazing. 

A  ROBBERS*    HAUNT  DISCOVERED. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek,  a  light  was  shining  high  up 
the  mountain  bank.  Approaching  the  mysterious  spot  as  cau- 
tiously as  possible,  and  when  within  a  few  yards  of  the  light  — 
which  I  discovered  came  from  a  dug-out  in  the  mountain  side  — 
I  heard  voices,  and  soon  I  was  able  to  distinguish  the  words,  as 
they  proved  to  be  in  my  own  language.  Then  I  knew  that  the 
occupants  of  the  dug-out,  whence  the  voices  proceeded,  were 
white  men.  Thinking  that  they  might  be  a  party  of  trappers,  I 
boldly  walked  up  to  the  door  and  knocked  for  admission.  The 
voices  instantly  ceased,  and  for  a  moment  a  death-like  silence 
reigned  inside.  Then  there  seemed  to  follow  a  kind  of  hurried 
whispering  —  a  sort  of  consultation  —  and  then  some  one  called 
out:  — 

**  Who's  there?" 

**  A  friend  and  a  white  man,"  I  replied. 

The  door  opened,  and  a  big,  ugly-looking  fellow  stepped  forth 
and  said :  — 

*'Come  in." 

I  accepted  the  invitation  with  some  degree  of  fear  and  hesita- 
tion, which  I  endeavored  to  conceal,  as  I  saw  that  it  was  too  late 
to  back  out,  and  that  it  would  never  do  to  weaken  at  that  point, 
whether  they  were  friends  or  foes.  Upon  entering  the  dug-out 
Day  eyes  fell  upon  eight  as  rough  and  villainous  looking  men  as  I 
ever  saw  in  my  life.  Two  of  them  I  instantly  recognized  as 
teamsters  who  had  been  driving  in  Lew  Simpson's  train,  a  few 
months  before,  and  had  been  discharged. 

I  They  were  charged  with  the  murdering  and  robbing  of  a  ranch- 
man ;  and  having  stolen  his  horses  it  was  supposed  that  they  had 
left  the  couotry*    I  gave  them  ^o  signs  of  recogmtion  however, 


80  STORY  OF  THE   WILD   WEST 

deeming  it  advisable  to  let  them  remain  in  ignorance  as  to  who  1 
was.  It  was  a  hard  crowd,  and  I  concluded  that  the  sooner  1 
could  get  away  from  them  the  better  it  would  be  for  me.  I  felt 
confident  that  they  were  a  band  of  horse-thieves. 

**  Where  are  you  going,  young  man;  and  who's  with  you?'* 
asked  one  of  the  men  who  appeared  to  be  the  leader  of  the  gang. 

*«  I  am  entirely  alone.  I  left  Horseshoe  Station  this  morning 
for  a  bear-hunt,  and  not  finding  any  bears,  I  had  determined  to 
camp  out  for  the  night  and  wait  till  morning,"  said  I ;  "  and  just 
as  I  was  going  into  camp,  a  few  hundred  yards  down  the  creek 
I  heard  one  of  your  horses  whinnying,  and  then  I  came  to  your 
camp." 

I  was  thus  explicit  in  my  statement  in  order,  if  possible,  to 
satisfy  the  cut-throats  that  I  was  not  spying  upon  them,  but  that 
my  intrusion  was  entirely  accidental. 

'*  Where's  your  horse?  "  demanded  the  boss  thief. 

*«  I  left  him  down  the  creek,"  I  answered. 

IN   A   TIGHT   PLACE. 

They  proposed  going  after  the  horse,  but  I  thought  that  that 
would  never  do,  as  it  would  leave  me  without  any  means  oi 
escape,  and  I  accordingly  said,  in  hopes  to  throw  them  ofp  the 
track,  **  Captain,  I'll  leave  my  gun  here  and  go  down  and  get 
my  horse,  and  come  back  and  stay  all  night." 

I  said  this  in  as  cheerful  and  as  careless  a  manner  as  possible,  so 
as  not  to  arouse  their  suspicions  in  any  way  or  lead  them  to 
think  that  I  was  aware  of  their  true  character.  I  hated  to  part 
with  my  gun,  but  my  suggestion  of  leaving  it  was  a  part  of  the 
plan  of  escape  which  I  had  arranged.  If  they  have  the  gun, 
thought  I,  they  will  surel}^  believe  that  I  intend  to  come  back. 
But  this  little  game  did  not  work  at  all,  as  one  of  the  despera- 
does spoke  up  and  said:  — 

**  Jim  and  I  will  go  down  with  you  after  your  horse,  and  you 
can  leave  your  gun  here  all  the  same,  as  you'U  not  need  it." 

'*  All  right,"  I  replied,  for  I  could  certainly  have  said  nothing 
else.     It  became  evident  to  me  that  it  would  be  better  to  trust 


I 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  BUFFALO   BILL.  81 

myself  with  two  men  than  with  the  whole  party.  It  was  appa- 
rent from  this  time  on  I  would  have  to  be  on  the  alert  for  some 
good  opportunity  to  give  them  the  slip. 

* « Come  along,"  said  one  of  them,  and  together  we  went  down  the 
creek,  and  soon  came  to  the  spot  where  my  horse  was  tied.  One 
of  the  men  unhitched  the  animal  and  said :  "I'll  lead  the  horse." 

**  Very  well,"  said  I,  "  I've  got  a  couple  of  sage-hens  here. 
Lead  on."  ' 

I  picked  up  the  sage-hens,  which  I  had  killed  a  few  hours  be- 
fore, and  followed  the  man  who  was  leading  the  horse,  while  his 
companion  brought  up  the  rear.  The  nearer  we  approached  the 
dug-out  the  more  I  dreaded  the  idea  of  going  back  among  the 
villainous  cut-throats.  My  first  plan  of  escape  having  failed,  I 
now  determined  upon  another.  I  had  both  of  my  revolvers  with 
me,  the  thieves  not  having  thought  it  necessary  to  search  me.  It 
was  now  quite  dark,  and  I  purposely  dropped  one  of  the  sage-hens, 
and  asked  the  man  behind  me  to  pick  it  up.  While  he  was  hunt- 
ing for  it  on  the  ground,  I  quickly  pulled  out  one  of  my  Colt's 
revolvers  and  struck  him  a  tremendous  blow  on  the  back  of  the 
head,  knocking  him  senseless  to  the  ground.  I  then  instantly 
wheeled  around,  and  saw  that  the  man  ahead,who  was  only  a  few 
feet  distant,  had  heard  the  blow  and  had  turned  to  see  What  was 
the  matter,  his  hand  upon  his  revolver.  We  faced  each  other  at 
about  the  same  instant,  but  before  he  could  fire,  as  he  tried  to  do, 
I  shot  him  dead  in  his  tracks.  Then  jumping  on  my  horse,  I  rode 
down  the  creek  as  fast  as  possible,  through  the  darkness  and  over 
the  rough  ground  and  rocks. 

The  other  outlaws  in  the  dug-out,  having  heard  the  shot  which 
I  had  fired,  knew  there  was  trouble,  and  they  all  came  rushing 
down  the  creek.  I  suppose  by  the  time  they  reached  the  man 
whom  I  had  knocked  down,  that  he  had  recovered  and  hurriedly 
told  them  of  what  had  happened.  They  did  not  stay  with  the 
man  whom  I  had  shot,  but  came  on  in  hot  pursuit  of  me.  They 
were  not  mounted,  and  were  making  better  time  down  the  rough 
mountain  than  I  was  on  horseback.  From  time  to  time  I  heard 
them  gradually  gaining  on  me. 


82  STORY   OF  THE  WILD   WEST. 

At  last  they  had  come  so  near  that  I  saw  that  I  must  abandon 
my  horse.  So  1  jumped  to  the  ground,  and  gave  him  a  hard 
diap  with  the  butt  of  one  of  my  revolvers,  which  started  him  on 
down  the  vaHey,  while  I  8Cramb]ed  up  the  mountain  side.  I  had 
not  ascended  more  than  forty  feet  when  I  heard  my  pursuers 
coming  closer  and  closer ;  I  quickly  hid  behind  a  a  large  pine 
tree,  and  in  a  few  moments  they  all  nisbed  by  me,  being  led  on  by 
the  rattling  footsteps  of  my  horse,  which  they  heard  ahead  of 


A   HEROIC   REMEDY  FOR   A   DESPERATE   SITUATION. 

them.  Soon  they  began  firing  in  the  direction  of  the  horse,  as  they 
no  doubt  supposed  I  was  still  seated  on  his  back.  As  soon  as 
they  had  passed  me  I  climbed  further  up  the  steep  mountain, 
and  knowing  that  I  had  given  them  the  slip,  and  feeling  certain 
I  could  keep  out  of  their  way,  I  at  once  struck  out  for  Horse- 
shoe Station,  which  was  twenty-five  miles  distant.  I  had  hard 
traveling  at  first  but  upon  reaching  lower  and  better  ground  I 
made  good  headway,  walking  all  night  and  getting  into  the  station 
just  before  daylight,  — foot-sore,  weary,  and  generally  played  out. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  83 

I  immediately  waked  up  the  men  of  the  station  and  told  them 
of  my  adventure.  Slade  himself  happened  to  be  there,  and  he 
at  once  organized  a  party  to  go  out  in  pursuit  of  the  horse  thieves. 
Shortly  after  daylight  twenty  well  armed  stage-drivers,  stock- 
tenders  and  ranchmen  were  galloping  in  the  direction  of  the  dug- 
out. Of  course  I  went  along  with  the  party,  notwithstanding  I 
was  very  tired  and  had  had  hardly  any  rest  at  all.  We  had  a 
brisk  ride,  and  arrived  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  thieves' 
rendezvous  at  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning.  We  approached 
the  dug-out  cautiously,  but  upon  getting  in  close  proximity  to  it  we 
could  discover  no  horses  in  sight.  We  could  see  the  door  of  the 
dug-out  standing  wide  open,  and  we  then  marched  up  to  the 
place.  No  one  was  inside  and  the  general  appearance  of  every- 
thing indicated  that  the  place  had  been  deserted  —  that  the  birds 
had  flown.     Such,  indeed,  proved  to  be  the  case. 

We  found  a  new-made  grave,  where  they  had  evidently  buried 
the  man  whom  I  had  shot.  We  made  a  thorough  search  of  the 
whole  vicinity,  and  finally  found  their  trail  going  southeast  in 
the  direction  of  Denver.  As  it  woidd  have  been  useless  to  follow 
them,  we  rode  back  to  the  station  ;  and  thus  ended  my  eventful 
bear-hunt.  We  had  no  more  trouble  for  some  time  from  horse- 
thieves  after  that. 

During  the  winter  of  1860  and  the  spring  of  1861  I  remained 
at  Horseshoe,  occasionaliy  riding  pony  express  and  taking  care  of 
stock,  but  meeting  with  no  adventure  worthy  to  be  recorded. 


84 


STOBY  OF  THE   WILD  WEST. 


CHAPTER    V. 


AN    INGLORIOUS   SERVICE, 


OLLO WING  the  breaking  out  of  the  gi  eat 
Civil  War  in  1861,  a  general  desertion  of 
stage-drivers  and  express  riders  took  place, 
a  majority  of  whom  were  natural  rovers, 
and  always  looking  out  for  change  of  em- 
ployment. I  was  not  an  exception,  and  as 
it  had  now  been  nearly  a  year  since  I  saw 
my  mother,  while  reports  of  her  ill  health 
frequently  reached  me,  I  decided  to  pay 
her  a  visit,  and  at  the  same  time  deter- 
mine, if  government  service  promised  better 
pay  and  more  excitement  than  I  had  been 
getting  out  of  my  engagement  with  the  ex- 
press company,  to  join  the  army.  In  pur- 
suance of  this  resolve  I  went  to  Leavenworth,  which  was  at  that 
time  an  important  outfitting  post  for  the  West  and  Southwest. 

While  in  the  city  one  day  I  met  several  of  the  old,  as  well  as 
the  young  men,  who  had  been  members  of  the  Free  State  party 
all  through  the  Kansas  troubles,  and  who  had,  like  our  family, 
lost  everything  at  the  hands  of  the  Missourians.  They  now 
thought  a  good  opportunity  offered  to  retaliate  and  get  even  with 
their  persecutors,  as  they  were  all  considered  to  be  Secessionists. 
That  they  were  all  Secessionists,  however,  was  not  true,  as  all  of 
them  did  not  sympathize  with  the  South.  But  the  Free  State 
men,  myself  among  them,  took  it  for  granted  that  as  Missouri 
was  a  slave  State  the  inhabitants  must  all  be  Secessionists,  and 
therefore  our  enemies,  A  man  by  the  name  of  Chandler  pro- 
posed that  we  organize  an  independent  company  for  the  pur- 
pose of  invading  Missouri  and  making  war  on  its  people  on  our 
own  responsibility.     He  at  once  went  about  it  in  a  very  quiet 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OP  BUFFALO  BILL.  85 

way,  and  succeed  in  inducing  twenty-five  men  to  join  him  in  the 
hazardous  enterprise.  Having  a  longing  and  revengeful  desire  to 
retaliate  upon  the  Missourians  for  the  brutal  manner  in  which 
they  had  treated  and  robbed  my  family,  I  became  a  member  of 
Chandler's  company.  His  plan  was  that  we  should  leave  our 
homes  in  parties  of  not  more  than  two  or  three  together,  and 
meet  at  a  certain  point  near  Westport,  Missouri,  on  a  fixed  day. 
His  instructions  were  carried  out,  and  we  assembled  at  the 
rendezvous  at  the  appointed  time.  Chandler  had  been  there  some 
days  before  us  and,  thoroughly  disguised,  had  been  looking 
around  the  country  for  the  whereabouts  of  all  the  best  horses. 
He  directed  us  to  secretly  visit  certain  farms  and  collect  all  the 
horses  possible,  and  bring  them  together  the  next  night.  This 
we  did,  and  upon  reassembling  it  was  found  that  nearly  every 
man  had  two  horses.  We  immediately  struck  out  for  the  Kansas 
line,  which  we  crossed  at  the  Indian  ferry  on  the  Kansas  River, 
above  Wyandotte,  and  as  soon  as  we  had  set  foot  upon  Kansas 
soil  we  separated  with  the  understanding  that  we  were  to  meet 
one  week  from  that  day  at  Leavenworth. 

Some  of  the  parties  boldly  took  their  confiscated  horses  into 
Leavenworth,  while  others  rode  them  to  their  homes.  This 
action  may  look  to  the  reader  like  horse-stealing,  and  some  people 
might  not  hesitate  to  call  it  by  that  name;  but  Chandler  plausibly 
maintained  that  ^ve  were  only  getting  back  our  own,  or  the 
equivalent,  from  the  Missourians,  and  as  the  government  was 
waging  war  against  the  South,  it  was  perfectly  square  and  honest, 
and  we  had  a  good  right  to  do  it.  So  we  didn't  let  our  con- 
sciences trouble  us  very  much. 

We  continued  to  make  similar  raids  upon  the  Missourians  of? 
and  on  during  the  summer,  and  occasionally  we  had  running 
fights  with  them;  none  of  the  skirmishes,  however,  amounting  to 
much .  The  government  officials  hearing  of  our  operations ,  put  de- 
tectives upon  our  track,  and  several  of  the  party  were  arrested. 
My  mother,  upon  learning  that  I  was  engaged  in  this  business, 
told  me  it  was  neither  u  "norable  nor  right,  and  she  would  not 
for  a  moment  countenance  any  such  proceedings.  Consequently 
I  abandoned  the  jay-hawking  enterprise, for  such  it  really  was. 


86  STORY   OF  THE   WILD    WEST. 

After  abandoning  the  enterprise  of  crippling  the  Confederacy 
by  appropriating  the  horses  of  non-combatants,  I  went  to 
Leavenworth,  where  I  met  my  old  friend,  Wild  Bill,  who  was  on 
the  point  of  departing  for  Rolla,  Mo.,  to  assume  the  position  of 
wagon  master  of  a  government  train.  At  his  request  to  join  him 
as  an  assistant  I  cheerfully  accompanied  him  to  Rolla,  where  we 
loaded  a  number  of  wagons  with  government  freight  and  drove 
them  to  Springfield. 

BUSTED   AT  A  HORSE-RACE. 

On  our  return  to  Rolla  we  heard  a  great  deal  of  talk  about  the 
approaching  fall  races  at  St.  Louis,  and  Wild  Bill  having  brought 
a  fast  running  horse  from  the  mountains,  determined  to  take  him 
to  that  city  and  match  him  against  some  of  the  high-flyers  there  ; 
and  down  to  St.  Louis  we  went  with  this  running  horse,  placing 
our  hopes  very  high  on  him. 

Wild  Bill  had  no  difficulty  in  making  up  a  race  for  him.  All 
the  money  that  he  and  I  had  we  put  up  on  the  mountain  runner, 
and  as  we  thought  we  had  a  sure  thing,  we  also  bet  the  horse 
against  $250.  I  rode  the  horse  myself,  but  nevertheless,  our 
sure  thing,  like  many  another  sure  thing,  proved  a  total  failure, 
and  we  came  out  of  that  race  minus  the  horse  and  every  dollar 
we  had  in  the  world. 

Before  the  race  it  had  been  ''  make  or  break  "with  us,  and  we 
got  * '  broke . "  We  were  * '  busted ' '  in  the  largest  city  we  had  ever 
been  in,  and  it  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  we  felt  mighty  blue. 

On  the  morning  after  the  race  we  went  to  the  military  head- 
quarters, where  Bill  succeeded  in  securing  an  engagement  for 
liimself  as  a  government  scout,  but  I  being  so  young  failed  in 
obtaining  similar  employment.  Wild  Bill,  however,  raised  some 
money,  by  borrowing  it  from  a  friend,  and  then  buying  me  a 
steamboat  ticket  he  sent  me  back  to  Leavenworth,  while  he  went 
to  Springfield,  which  place  he  made  his  headquarters  while  scout- 
ing in  Southeastern  Missouri. 

A  DUEL  IN  THE  S'^iiEET. 

One  night,  after  he  had  returned  from  a  scouting  expedition, 
he  took  a  hand  in  a  game  of  poker,  and  in  the  course  of  the  play 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  BUFl«ALO   BILL. 


87 


he  became  involved  in  a  quarrel  with  Dave  Tutt,  a  professional 
gambler,  about  a  watch  which  he  had  won  from  Tutt,  but  who 
would  not  give  it  up. 

Bill  told  him  he  had  won  it  fairly,  and  that  he  proposed  to  have 
it;  furthermore,  he  declared  his  intention  of  carrying  the  watch 
across  the  street  next  morning  to  military  headquarters,  at  which 
place  he  had  to  report  at  nine 
o'clock.  To  which  boast  Tutt 
replied  that  he  would  himself 
carry  the  watch  across  the  street 
at  nine  o'clock,  and  no  other  man 
would  do  it. 

**If  you  make  the  attempt 
one  of  us  will  have  to  die  at  the 
hour  named,"  w^as  the  answer 
Bill  returned,  and  then  walked 
carelessly  away. 

A  challenge  to  a  duel  had  vir- 
tually been  given  and  accepted? 
and  everybody  knew  that  the  two 
men  meant  business.  At  nine 
o'clock  the  next  morning,  Tutt 
started  to  cross  the  street.  Wild 
Bill,  who  was  standing  on  the 
opposite  side,  told  him  to  stop. 
At  that  moment  Tutt,  who  was  ^^^  ^^^i^'s  ^^^^  ^^th  da ve  tutt. 
carrying  his  revolver  in  his  hand,  fired  at  Bill  but  missed  him. 
Bill  quickly  pulled  out  his  revolver  and  returned  the  fire,  hitting 
Tutt  squarely  in  the  forehead  and  killing  him  instantly. 

Quite  a  number  of  Tutt's  friends  were  standing  in  the  vicin- 
ity, having  assembled  to  witness  the  duel,  and  Bill,  as  soon  as 
Tutt  fell  to  the  ground,  turned  to  them  r,nd  asked  if  any  one  of 
them  wanted  to  take  it  up  for  Tutt ;  if  so,  he  would  accommo- 
date any  of  them  then  and  there.  But  none  of  them  cared  to 
stand  in  front  of  Wild  Bill  to  be  shot  at  by  him.  Nothing  of 
course  was  ever  done  to  Bill  for  the  killing  of  Tutt, 


STORY  OF  THE  WILD   WEST. 


CHAPTER    VL 


HOW  I  BECAMK  A  SOLDIER. 


ARLY  in  the  fall  of  1861 1  made  a  trip 
to  Fort  Larned,  Kansas,  carrying  mili- 
tary dispatches,  and  in  the  winter  1 
accompanied  George  Long  through  the 
country,  and  assisted  him  in  buying 
horses  for  the  government. 

The  next  spring,  1862,  an  expedition 
against  the  Indians  was  organized, 
consisting  of  a  volunteer  regiment, 
the  Ninth  Kansas  under  Colonel  Clark. 
This  expedition,  which  I  had  joined  in 
the  capacity  of  guide  and  scout,  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Kiowa  and  Comanche 
country,  on  the  Arkansas  river, 
along  which  stream  we  scouted  all  summer  between  Fort  Lyon 
and  Fort  Larned,  on  the  old  Santa  Fe  trail.  We  had  several  en- 
gagements with  the  Indians,  but  they  were  of  no  great  import- 
ance. 

In  the  winter  of  1862,  I  became  one  of  the  **Red  Legged 
Scouts,"  —  a  company  of  scouts  commanded  by  Captain  Tuff. 
Amons:  its  members  were  some  of  the  most  noted  Kansas  Ran- 
gers,  such  as  Red  Clark,  the  St.  Clair  brothers.  Jack  Harvey,  an 
old  pony  express-rider  named  Johnny  Fry,  and  many  other  well 
known  frontiersmen.  Our  field  of  operations  was  confined 
mostly  to  the  Arkansas  country  and  Southwestern  Missouri.  We 
had  many  a  lively  skirmish  with  the  bushwhackers  and  Younger 
brothers,  and  when  we  were  not  hunting  them,  we  were  generally 
employed  in  carrying  dispatches  between  Forts  Dodge,  Gibson, 
Leavenworth  and  other  posts.  Whenever  we  were  in  Leaven- 
worth we  had  a  very  festive  time.     We  usually  attended  all  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   BUFFALO    BILL.  89 

balls  in  full  force,  and  **  ran  things'*  to  suit  ourselves.  Thus  I 
passed  the  winter  of  1862  and  the  spring  of  1863. 

Subsequently  I  engaged  to  conduct  a  small  train  to  Denver  for 
some  merchants,  and  on  reaching  that  place  in  September,  I  re- 
ceived a  letter  stating  that  my  mother  was  not  expected  to  live. 
I  hastened  home,  and  found  her  dangerously  ill.  She  grew  grad- 
ually  worse,  and  at  last,  on  the  22d  of  November,  1863,  she  died. 
Thus  passed  away  a  loving  and  affectionate  mother  and  a  noble, 
brave,  good  and  loyal  woman. 

Previous  to  this  sad  event  my  sister  Julia  had  been  married  to 
a  gentleman  named  J.  A.  Goodman,  and  they  now  came  to  reside 
at  our  house  and  take  charge  of  the  children,  as  my  mother  had 
desired  that  they  should  not  be  separated.  Mr.  Goodman  became 
the  guardian  of  the  minor  children. 

WITH   THE   JAY-HAWKERS. 

I  soon  left  the  home  now  rendered  gloomy  by  the  absence  of 
hei  whom  I  bad  so  tenderly  loved  and  going  to  Leavenworth  I 
entered  upon  a  dissolute  and  reckless  life  —  to  my  shame  be  it 
said  —  and  associated  with  gamblers,  drunkards,  and  bad  charac- 
ters generally.  I  continued  my  dissipation  about  two  months, 
and  was  becoming  a  very  *'  hard  case."  About  this  time  the  Sev- 
enth Kansas  regiment,  known  as  **Jennison*s  Jay-hawkers," 
returned  from  the  war,  and  re-enlisted  and  re- organized  as  veter- 
ans.  Among  them  I  met  quite  a  number  of  my  old  comrades 
and  neighbors,  who  tried  to  induce  me  to  enlist  and  go  South 
with  them.  I  had  no  idea  of  doing  anything  of  the  kind ;  but 
one  day,  after  having  been  under  the  influence  of  bad  whisky,  I 
awoke  to  find  myself  a  soldier  in  the  Seventh  Kansas.  I  did  not 
remember  how  or  when  I  had  enlisted,  but  I  saw  I  was  in  for  it, 
and  that  it  would  not  do  for  me  to  endeavor  to  back  out.  | 

In  the  spring  of  1864  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  Tennessee, 
and  we  got  into  Memphis  just  about  the  time  that  General  Stur- 
gis  was  so  badly  whipped  by  General  Forrest.  General  A.  J. 
Smith  re-organized  the  army  to  operate  against  Forrest,  and  after 
marching  to  Tupalo,  MississipDi,js:e  bad  an  engagement  with  him 


yo 


STORY   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 


and  defeated  him.  This  kind  of  fighting  was  all  new  to  me,  be- 
ing entirely  different  from  any  in  which  I  had  ever  before  en- 
gaged. I  soon  became  a  non-commissioned  officer,  and  was  put 
on  detached  service  as  a  scout. 

After   skirmishing  around  the  country  with  the  rest  of  the 

army  for  some  little 
time,  our  regiment 
returned  to  Memphis, 
but  was  immediately 
ordered  to  Cape  Girar- 
deau, in  Missouri,  as  a 
Confederate  force  under 
General  Price  was  then 
raiding  that  State.  The 
command  of  which  my 
regiment  was  a  part 
hurried  to  the  front  to  in 
WILD  BILL.  tercept  Price,  and  our  first 

fight  with  him  occurred  at  Pilot  Knob.  From  that  time  for 
nearly  six  weeks  we  fought  or  skirmished  every  day. 

A   SINGULAR   IHEETING   WITH  WILD    BILL. 

I  was  still  acting  as  a  scout,  when  one  day  I  rode  ahead  of  the 
command,  some  considerable  distance,  to  pick  up  all  possible  in- 
formation concerning  Price's  movements.  I  was  dressed  in 
gray  clothes,  or  Missouri  jeans,  and  on  riding  up  to  a  farmhouse 
and  entering  I  saw  a  man,  also  dressed  in  gray  costume,  sitting 
at  a  table  eating  bread  and  milk.  He  looked  up  as  I  entered,  and 
startled  me  by  saying:  — 

**You  little  rascal,  what  are  you  doing  in  those  *secesh' 
clothes?'*  Judge  of  my  surprise  when  I 'recognized  in  the 
stranger  my  old  friend  and  partner,  Wild  Bill,  disguised  as  a  Con- 
federate officer. 

**  1  ask  you  the  same  question,  sir,"  said  I,  without  the  least 
hesitation. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF.  BUFFALO   BILL.  91 

**Hush!  sib  down  and  have  some  bread  and  milk,  and  we'll 
talk  it  all  over  afterwards,"  said  he. 

I  accepted  the  invitation  and  partook  of  the  refreshments. 
Wild  Bill  paid  the  woman  of  the  house,  and  we  v^ent  out  to  the 
gate  where  my  horse  was  standing. 

"  Billy,  my  boy,**  said  he  *<  I  am  mighty  glad  to  see  you.  I 
haven't  seen  or  heard  of  you  since  we  got  busted  on  that  St. 
Louis  horse  race." 

"  What  are  you  do^ng  here?"  I  asked, 

'*  I  am  a  scout  under  General  McNiel.  For  the  last  few  days 
I  have  been  with  General  Marmaduke's  division  of  Price's  army, 
in  disguise  as  a  Southern  otficer  from  Texas,  as  you  see  me  now," 
said  he, 

*'  That's  exactly  the  kind  of  business  that  I  am  out  on  to-day,* 
said  I;  **  and  I  want  to  get  some  information  concerning  Price's 
movements." 

**  I'll  give  you  all  that  I  have;"  and  he  then  went  on  and  told 
me  all  that  he  knew  regarding  Price's  intentions,  and  the  number 
and  condition  of  his  men.  He  then  asked  about  my  mother,  and 
when  he  learned  that  she  was  dead  he  was  greatly  surprised  ant? 
grieved ;  he  thought  a  great  deal  of  her,  for  she  had  treated  him 
almost  as  one  of  her  own  children.  He  finally  took  out  a  pack- 
age, which  he  had  concealed  about  his  person,  and  handing  it  to 
me  he  said :  — 

•*  Here  are  some  letters  which  I  want  you  to  give  to  General 
McNeil. 

*'  All  right,"  said  1  as  I  took  them,  **  but  where  will  I  meet 
you  again  ?'  * 

**  Never  mind  that,"  he  replied;  **  I  am  getting  so  much  val- 
uable information  that  I  propose  to  stay  a  little  while  longer  in 
this  disguise.'*     Thereupon  we  shook  hands  and  parted. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  say  much  concerning  Price's  raid  in  gen- 
eral, a3  that  event  is  a  matter  of  recorded  history.  I  am  only 
relating  the  incidents  in  which  I  was  personally  interested  er  .her 
as  one  of  the  actors  or  as  an  observer. 


92  STORY   OP  THE   WILD    WEST, 


A  PLEASANT  LITTLE  EPISODE. 


Another  interesting,  and  I  may  say  exciting,  episode  iiappened 
to  me  a  day  or  two  after  my  unexpected  meeting  with  Wild  Bili. 
I  was  riding  with  the  advance  guard  of  our  army,  and  wishing  a 
drink  of  water,  I  stopped  at  a  farm  house.  There  were  no  men 
about  the  premises,  and  no  one  excepting  a  very  fine  and  intel- 
lectual looking  lady  and  her  two  daughters.  They  seemed  to  be 
almost  frightened  to  death  at  seeing  me  —  a  * '  yank ' '  —  appear 
before  them.  I  quieted  their  fears  somewhat  and  the  mother 
then  asked  me  how  far  back  the  army  was.  When  I  told  her  it 
would  be  along  shortly,  she  expressed  her  fears  that  they  would 
take  everything  on  the  premises.  They  set  me  out  a  lunch  and 
treated  me  very  kindly,  so  that  I  really  began  to  sympathize  with 
them ;  for  I  knew  that  the  soldiers  would  ransack  their  house  and 
confiscate  everything  they  could  lay  their  hands  on.  At  last  J 
resolved  to  do  what  I  could  to  protect  them. 

After  the  generals  and  the  staff  officers  had  passed  by,  I  took 
it  upon  myself  to  be  a  sentry  over  the  house.  When  the  com- 
mand came  along  some  of  the  men  rushed  up  with  the  intention 
of  entering  the  place  and  carrying  off  all  the  desirable  plunder 
possible,  and  then  tearing  and  breaking  everything  to  pieces,  as 
they  usually  did  along  the  line  of  march. 

"  Halt!'*  I  shouted ;  "  I  have  been  placed  here  by  the  com- 
manding officer  as  a  guard  over  this  house,  and  no  man  must  enter 
:t.'*  This  stopped  the  first  squad;  and  seeing  that  my  plan  was 
a  success,  I  remained  at  my  post  during  the  passage  of  the  entire 
command  and  kept  out  all  intruders. 

It  seemed  as  if  the  ladies  could  not  thank  me  sufficiently  for 
the  protection  I  had  afforded  them.  They  were  perfectly  aware 
of  the  fact  that  I  had  acted  without  orders  and  entirely  on  my 
own  responsibility,  and  therefore  they  felt  the  more  grateful. 
They  urgently  invited  me  to  remain  a  little  while  longer  and  par- 
take of  an  excellent  dinner  which  they  said  they  were  preparing 
for  me.     T  was  pretty  hungry  about  that  time,  as  our  rations  had 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  93 

been  rather  slim  of  late,  and  a  good  dinner  was  a  temptation  I 
could  not  withstand,  especially  as  it  was  served  up  by  such  ele- 
gant ladies.  While  I  was  eating  the  meal  I  was  most  agreeably 
entertained  by  the  young  ladies,  and  before  I  finished  it  the  last 
of  the  rear-guard  was  at  least  two  miles  beyond  the  house. 

Suddenly  three  men  entered  the  room,  and  I  looked  up  and  saw 
three  double-barreled  shot-guns  leveled  straight  at  me.  Before 
I  could  speak,  however,  the  mother  and  her  daughters  sprang 
between  the  men  and  me. 

*«  Father!  Boys!  Lower  your  guns!  You  must  not  shoot 
this  man,"  and  similar  exclamations  were  uttered  by  all  three. 
The  guns  were  lowered  and  then  the  men,  who  were  the 
father  and  brothers  of  the  young  ladies,  were  informed  of  what 
I  had  done  for  them.  It  appeared  that  they  had  been  concealed 
in  the  woods  near  by  while  the  army  was  passing,  and  on  coming 
into  the  house  and  findmg  a  Yankee  there,  they  determined  to 
shoot  him.  Upon  learning  the  facts,  the  old  man  extended  his 
hand  to  me,  saymg:  — 

«*I  would  not  harm  a  hair  of  your  head  for  the  world;  but  it 
IS  best  that  you  stay  here  no  longer,  as  your  command  is  some 
distance  in  advance  now,  and  you  might  be  cut  off  by  bush- 
whackers before  reaching  it." 

Bidding  them  all  good-bye,  and  with  many  thanks  from  the 
mother  and  daughters,  I  mounted  my  horse  and  soon  over- 
took the  column,  happy  in  the  thought  that  I  had  done  a  good 
deed,  and  with  no  regrets  that  I  had  saved  from  pillage  and  de- 
struction the  home  and  property  of  a  Confederate  and  his 
family. 

Our  command  kept  crowding  against  Price  and  his  army  until 
they  were  pushed  into  the  vicinity  of  Kansas  City,  where  their 
further  advance  was  checked  by  United  States  troops  from  Kan- 
sas ;  and  then  was  begun  their  memorable  and  extraordinary  re- 
treat back  into  Kansas. 

A  WONDERFUL    ESCAPE. 

While  both  armies  were  drawn  up  in  skirmish  line  near  Forf 
Scott   Kansas,  two  men  on  horseback  were  seen  rapidly  leaving 


94  STORY  OP  THE   WILD   WEST. 

the  Confederate  lines,  and  suddenly  they  made  a  dash  towards 
us.  Instantly  quick  volleys  were  discharged  from  the  Confeder- 
ates, who  also  began  a  pursuit,  and  some  five  hundred  shots  were 
fired  at  the  flying  men.  It  was  evident  that  they  were  trying  to 
reach  our  lines,  but  when  within  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  us, 
one  of  them  fell  from  his  horse  to  rise  no  more.  He  had  been 
fatally  shot.  His  companion  galloped  on  unhurt,  and  seven 
companies  of  our  regiment  charged  out  and  met  him,  and  checked 
his  pursuers.  The  fugitive  was  dressed  in  Confederate  uniform, 
and  as  he  rode  into  our  lines  I  recognized  him  as  Wild  Bill,  the 
Union  scout.  He  immediately  sought  Generals  Pleasanton  and 
McNiel,  with  whom  he  held  a  consultation.  He  told  them  that 
although  Price  made  a  bold  showing  on  the  front,  by  bringing  all 
his  men  into  view,  yet  he  was  really  a  great  deal  weaker  than  the 
appearance  of  his  lines  would  indicate ;  and  that  he  was  then  try- 
ing to  cross  a  difficult  stream  four  miles  from  Fort  Scott. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon,  but  General  Pleasanton  immedi- 
ately ordered  an  advance,  and  we  charged  in  full  force  upon  the 
rear  of  Price's  army,  and  drove  it  before  us  for  two  hours. 

If  Wild  Bill  could  have  made  his  successful  dash  into  our  lines 
earlier  in  the  day,  the  attack  would  have  been  made  sooner,  and 
greater  results  might  have  been  expected.  The  Confederates 
had  suspected  him  of  being  a  spy  for  two  or  three  days,  and  had 
watched  him  too  closely  to  allow  an  opportunity  to  get  away  from 
them  sooner.  His  unfortunate  companion  who  had  been  shot, 
was  a  scout  from  Springfield,  Missouri,  whose  name  I  cannot  now 
remember. 

From  this  time  on,  Wild  Bill  and  myself  continued  to  scout 
together  until  Price's  army  was  driven  south  of  the  Arkansas 
river  and  the  pursuit  abandoned. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL, 


95 


CHAPTER    VII 


COURTSHIP  AND  MARRIAGE. 

AMP-LIFE  and  fighting  guerrixlas  is  not  a  very 
desirable  occupation,  and  even  scouting  in 
the  service  is  not  so  agreeable  as  making  love 
to  pretty  girls;  appreciating  this  fact,  after 
nearly  four  years  of  hardships  along  the  ad- 
vance, I  was  very  much  pleased  with  (he 
change  when  in  the  winter  of  1864-65  I  was 
permitted  to  spend  a  time  at  military  head- 
quarters in  St.  Louis  on  detached  service.  It  was  while  I  was  in 
this  pleasing  situation  that  I  became  acquainted  with  a  young 
lady  named  Louisa  Frederici,  whom  I  greatly  admired  and  in 
whose  charming  society  I  spent  many  a  pleasant  hour. 

The  war  closing  in  1865,  I  was  discharged,  and  after  a  brief 
visit  at  Leavenworth  I  returned  to  St.  Louis,  having  made  up 
my  mind  to  capture  the  heart  of  Miss  Frederici,  whom  I  now 
adored  above  any  other  young  lady  that  I  had  ever  seen. 
Her  lovely  face,  her  gentle  disposition  and  her  graceful  man- 
ners, won  my  admiration  and  love ;  and  I  was  not  slow  in  de- 
claring my  sentiments  to  her.  The  result  was  that  I  obtamed  her 
consent  to  marry  me  in  the  near  future,  and  when  I  bade  her 
good-bye  I  considered  myself  one  of  the  happiest  of  men. 

Meantime  I  drove  a  string  of  horses  from  Leavenworth  to  Fort 
Kearney,  where  I  met  my  old  friend  Bill  Trotter,  who  was  then 
division  stage  agent.  He  employed  me  at  once  to  drive  stage 
between  Kearney  and  Plum  Creek,  the  road  running  near  the 
spot  where  I  had  my  first  Indian  fight  with  the  McCarthy  bioth- 
ers,  and  where  I  killed  my  first  Indian,  nearly  nine  years  before. 
I  drove  stage  over  this  route  until  February,  1866,  and  while 
bounding  over  the  cold,  dreary  road  day  after  day,  my  thoughts 
turned  continually  towards  my  promised  bride,  until  I  at  last  de- 


96 


STORY   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 


termined  to  abandon  staging  forever,  and  marry  and  settle  down 
Immediately   after  coming   to  this   conclusion,    I  went  to  St. 
Louis,  where  I  was  most  cordially  received  by  my  sweetheart ; 
it  was  arranged  between  us  that  our  wedding  should  take  place 
on  the  6th  day  of  March  following. 

At  last  the  day  arrived  and  the  wedding  ceremony  was  per- 
formed at  the  residence  of  the  bride's  parents,  in  the  presence 
of  a  large  number  of  invited  friends,  whose  hearty  congratula- 
tions we  received.  I  was  certainly  to  be  congratulated,  for  I 
had  become  possessed  of  a  lovely  and  noble  woman,  and  as  1 


OVERLAND   STAGE    COACH. 

gazed  upon  her  as  she  stood  beside  me  arrayed  in  her  wedding 
costume,  I  indeed  felt  proud  of  her;  and  from  that  time  to  this 
I  have  alway  thought  that  I  made  a  most  fortunate  choice  for  a  life 
partner. 

BRIDAL  TRIP  ON   A  MISSOURI  STEAMER. 

An  hour  after  the  ceremony  we  —  my  bride  and  myself  ^-^ 
were  on  board  of  a  Missouri  river  steamboat,  bound  for  our 
new  home  in  Kansas.  My  wife's  parents  had  accompanied  us 
to  the  boat,  and  had  bidden  us  a  fond  farewell  and  a  God-speed 
on  our  ipurnev. 


"TELL  US  A  STORY,  'BUFFALO  BILL'  " 

Colonel  Cody  was  never  happier  than  when  surrounded  by 
boys  and  girls,  and  he  delighted  in  telling  them  of  his  adven- 
tures, always  being  careful  to  wind  up  his  story  with  a  good 
moral.     He  loved  children  and  the  children  loved  him. 


PAHASKA  AND  PLAYMATES 

*' Little  Iron  Tail"  and  ''The  Idaho  Kid,"  seated  on  Buf- 
falo Bill's  knees  listening  to  his  stories,  were  not  happier  than 
he  was.  Many  times  he  sent  for  the  children  in  orphan  homes 
and  homes  for  crippled  children,  so  they  could  enjoy  the  wonders 
of  the  Wild  West  Show  as  his  guests. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO    BILL.  97 

During  the  trip  up  the  river  several  very  amusing,  yet  awk^ 
ward,  incidents  occurred,  some  of  which  I  cannot  resist  relating. 
There  liappened  to  be  on  board  the  boat  an  excursion  party 
from  Lexington,  Missouri,  and  those  comprising  it  seemed  to 
shun  me,  for  some  reason  which  at  the  time  I  could  not  account 
for.  They  would  point  at  me,  and  quietly  talk  among  them- 
selves, and  eye  me  very  closely.  Their  actions  seemed  very 
strange  to  me.  After  the  boat  had  proceeded  some  little  dis 
tance,  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  several  families  from  Indiana, 
who  were  en  route  to  Kansas.  A  gentleman,  who  seemed  to  be 
the  leader  of  these  colonists  said  to  me,  "  The  people  of  this 
excursion  party  don't  seem  to  have  any  great  love  for  you." 

*'  What  does  it  mean?'*  I  asked;**  what  are  they  saying?  It's 
all  a  mystery  to  me." 

**  They  say  that  you  are  one  of  the  Kansas  jay-hawkers,  and 
one  of  Jennison's  house  burners,"  replied  the  gentleman. 

**Iam  from  Kansas  —  that's  true;  and  was  a  soldier  and  a 
scout  in  the  Union  army,"  said  I;  **  and  I  was  in  Kansas  during 
the  border  ruffian  war  of  1856.  Perhaps  these  people  know  who 
I  am,  and  that  explains  'their  hard  looks."  I  had  a  lengthy  con- 
versation with  this  gentleman  —  for  such  he  seemed  to  be  —  and 
entertained  him  with  several  chapters  of  the  history  of  the  early 
Kansas  troubles,  and  told  him  the  experiences  of  my  own 
family. 

In  the  evening  the  Lexington  folks  got  up  a  dance,  but  neither 
the  Indiana  people,  my  wife  or  myself  were  invited  to  join  them. 
My  new-found  friend  thereupon  came  to  me  and  said:  "Mr. 
Cody,  let  us  have  a  dance  of  our  own." 

**  Very  well,"  was  my  reply. 

**  We  have  some  musicians  along  with  us,  so  we  can  have 
plenty  of  music,"  remarked  the  gentleman. 

**  Good  enough! "  said  I,  **  and  I  will  hire  the  negro  barber 
to  play  the  violin  for  us.  He  is  a  good  fiddler,  as  I  heard  him 
playing  only  a  little  while  ago."  The  result  was  that  we  soon 
organized  a  good  string  band  and  had  a  splendid  dancp  keepi'^'" 
it  up  as  long  as  the  Lexington  party  did  theirs. 


98  STORY  OF  THE  WILD  WESx 


A  CLOSE  CALL. 


The  second  day  oat  from  St.  Louis  the  boat  stopped  to  wood- 
up  at  a  wild  looking  landing.  Suddenly  twenty  horsemen  were 
seen  galloping  up  through  the  timber,  and  as  they  came  nearer 
the  boat  they  fired  on  the  negro  deck-hands,  against  whom  they 
seemed  to  have  a  special  grudge,  and  who  were  engaged  in  throw- 
ing wood  on  board.  The  negroes  all  quickly  jumped  on  the  boat 
and  pulled  in  the  gang-plank,  and  the  captain  had  only  just  time 
to  get  the  steamer  out  into  the  stream  before  the  bushwhackers  — 
for  such  they  proved  to  be  —  appeared  on  the  bank. 

**  Where  is  the  black  Abolition  jay-hawker?*'  shouted  the 
leader.  **  Show  him  to  us,  and  we'll  shoot  him,"  yelled  another. 
But  as  the  boat  had  got  well  out  in  the  river  by  this  time  they 
could  not  board  us,  and  the  captain  ordering  a  full  head  of  steam, 
pulled  out  and  left  them. 

I  afterwards  ascertained  that  some  of  the  Missourians,  who 
were  with  the  excursion  party,  were  bushwhackers  themselves, 
and  had  telegraphed  to  their  friends  from  some  previous  landing 
that  I  was  on  board,  telling  them  to  come  to  the  landing  which 
we  had  just  left  and  take  me  off.  Had  the  villains  captured  me 
they  would  have  undoubtedly  put  an  end  to  my  career,  and  the 
public  would  never  have  had  the  pleasure  of  being  bored  by  this 
autobiography. 

I  noticed  that  my  wife  felt  grieved  over  the  manner  in  which 
these  people  had  treated  me.  Just  married,  she  was  going  into 
a  new  country,  and  seeing  how  her  husband  was  regarded,  how 
he  had  been  shunned,  and  how  his  life  had  been  threatened,  I 
was  afraid  she  might  come  to  the  conclusion  too  soon  that  she 
had  wedded  a  *'  hard  customer."  So  when  the  boat  landed  at 
Kansas  City  I  telegraphed  to  some  of  my  friends  in  Leavenworth 
that  I  would  arrive  there  in  the  evening.  My  object  was  to  have 
my  acquaintances  give  me  a  reception,  so  that  my  wife  could  see 
that  I  really  did  have  some  friends  and  was  not  so  bad  a  man  as 
the  bushwhackers  tried  to  make  out. 

Just  as  I  expected,  when  the  boat  reached   Leavenworth  I 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  99 

found  a  general  round-up  of  friends  at  the  landing  to  receive  us. 
There  were  about  sixty  gentlemen  and  ladies.  They  had  a  band 
of  music  with  them  and  we  were  given  a  fine  serenade.  Taking 
carriages,  we  all  drove  to  South  Leavenworth  to  the  home  of  my 
sister  Eliza,  who  had  married  George  Myers,  and  there  we  were 
given  a  very  handsome  reception.  All  this  cheered  up  my  wife, 
who  concluded  that  I  was  not  a  desperado  after  all. 

KEEPING   A    HOTEL. 

Having  promised  my  wife  that  I  would  abandon  the  plains,  I 
rented  a  hotel  in  Salt  Creek  Valley  —  the  same  house,  by  the 
way,  which  my  mother  had  forhierly  kept,  but  which  was  then 
owned  by  Dr.  J.  J.  Crook,  late  surgeon  of  the  7th  Kansas. 
This  hotel  I  called  the  Golden  Rule  House,  and  I  kept  it  until 
the  next  September.  People  generally  said  I  made  a  good  land- 
lord and  knew  how  to  run  a  hotel  — a  business  qualification 
which,  it  is  said,  is  possessed  by  comparatively  few  men.  But 
it  proved  too  tame  employment  for  me,  and  again  I  sighed  for 
the  freedom  of  the  plains.  Believing  that  1  could  make  more 
money  out  West  on  the  frontier  than  I  could  at  Salt  Creek  Val- 
ley, I  sold  out  the  Golden  Rule  House  and  started  alone  for 
Saline,  Kansas,  which  was  then  the  end  of  the  track  of  the 
Kansas  Pacific  railway,  which  was  at  that  time  being  built  across 
the  plains.  On  my  way  I  stopped  at  Junction  City,  where  I 
again  met  my  old  friend  Wild  Bill,  who  was  scouting  for  the 
government,  his  headquarters  being  at  Fort  Ellsworth,  afterwards 
called  Fort  Harker.  Ho  told  me  that  they  needed  more  scouts 
at  this  post,  and  I  accordingly  accompanied  him  to  that  fort, 
where  I  had  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  employment. 

During  the  winlerof  1866-67,  I  scouted  between  Fort  Ells- 
worth and  Fort  Fletcher.  In  the  spring  of  1867  I  was  at  Fort 
Fletcher,  when  General  Custer  came  out  to  go  on  an  Indian  ex- 
pedition with  General  Hancock.  I  remained  at  this  post  until  it 
was  drowned  out  by  the  heavy  floods  of  Big  creek,  on  which  it 
was  located ;  the  water  rose  about  the  fortifications  and  rendered 
the  place  unfit  for  occupancy ;  so  the  government  abandoned  the 


100 


STORY    OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 


fort  and  moved  the  troops  and  supplies  to  a  new  post  —  which 
had  been  named  Fort  Hays  —  located  further  west,  on  the  south 
fork  of  Big  creek.  It  was  while  scouting  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort 
Hays  that  I  had  my  first  ride  with  the  dashing  and  gallant  Custer, 
who  had  come  up  to  the  post  from  Fort  Ellsworth  with  an  escort 
of  only  ten  men.  He  wanted  a  guide  to  pilot  him  to  Fort  Larned, 
a  distance  of  sixty-five  miles  across  the  country. 

ACTING  AS  GUIDE  TO  CUSTER. 

I  was  ordered  by  the  commanding  ofilcer  to  guide  General 
Custer  to  his  desired  destination,  and  I  soon  received  word  from 

the  General  that  he  would  start 
out  in  the  morning  with  the  in- 
tention of  making  the  trip  in 
one  day.  Early  in  the  morn- 
ing, after  a  good  night's  rest,  1 
was  on  hand,  mounted  on  my 
large  mouse-colored  mule  —  an 
animal  of  great  endurance  — 
and  ready  for  the  journey; 
when  the  General  saw  me  he 
said:  — 

*'  Cody,  I  want  to  travel  fast 
and  go  through  as  quickly  as 
possible,  and  I  don't  think  that 
mule  of  yours  is  fast  enough  to  suit  me." 

**  General,  never  mind  the  mule,"  said  I,  *«  he'll  get  there  as 
soon  as  your  horses.  That  mule  is  a  good  one,"  as  I  knew  that 
the  animal  was  better  than  most  horses. 

"  Very  well;  go  ahead,  then,"  said  he,  though  he  looked  as  if 
ne  thought  I  would  delay  the  party  on  the  road. 

For  the  first  fifteen  miles,  until  we  came  to  the  Smoky  Hill 
river,  which  we  were  to  cross,  I  could  hardly  keep  the  mule  in  ad- 
vance of  the  General,  who  rode  a  frisky,  impatient  and  ambitious 
thoroughbred  steed;  in  fact,  the  whole  party  was  finely  mounted. 
The  General  repeatedly  told  me  that  the  mule  was  **  no  good  " 


GEN.    GEO.     A.    CUSTER. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  101 

and  that  1  ought  to  have  had  a  good  horse.  But  after  crossing  the 
river,  and  striking  the  sand-hills,  I  began  letting  my  mule  out  a 
little,  and  putting  the  *'  persuaders  "  to  him.  He  was  soon  out- 
traveling  the  horses,  and  by  the  time  we  had  made  about  half  the 
distance  to  Fort  Larned,  I  occasionally  had  to  wait  for  the  Gen- 
eral or  some  of  his  party,  as  their  horses  were  beginning  to  show 
signs  of  fatigue. 

**  General,  how  about  this  mule,  anyhow?  "  I  asked  at  last. 

"Cody,  you  have  a  better  vehicle  than  I  thought  you  had,*' 
was  his  reply. 

From  that  time  on  to  Fort  Larned  I  had  no  trouble  in  keep- 
ing ahead  of  the  party.  We  rode  into  the  fort  at  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  with  about  half  the  escort  only,  the  rest  having 
laorcred  far  behind. 

A  FIGHT  WITH  THE  INDIANS. 

General  Custer  thanked  me  for  having  brought  him  straight 
across  the  country  without  any  trail,  and  said  that  if  I  were  not 
engaged  as  post-scout  at  Fort  Hays  he  would  like  to  have  me 
accompany  him  as  one  of  his  scouts  during  the  summer;  and  he 
added  that  whenever  I  was  out  of  employment,  if  I  would  come 
to  him  he  would  find  something  for  me  to  do.  This  was  the  be- 
ginning of  my  acquaintance  with  General  Custer,  whom  I  always 
admired  as  a  man  and  as  an  officer. 

A  few  days  after  my  return  to  Fort  Hays,  the  Indians  made  a 
raid  on  the  Kansas  Pacific  railroad,  killing  five  or  six  men  and 
running  off  about  one  hundred  horses  and  mules.  The  news  was 
brought  to  the  commanding  officer,  who  immediately  ordered 
Major  Arms,  of  the  Tenth  Cavalry  —  which,  by  the  way,  was  a 
negro  regiment  —  with  his  company  and  one  mountain  howitzer, 
to  go  in  pursuit  of  the  red-skins,  and  I  was  sent  along  with  the 
expedition  as  scout  and  guide.  On  the  second  day  out  we  sud- 
denly discovered,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Saline  river,  about 
a  mile  distant,  a  large  body  of  Indians,  who  were  charging  down 
upon  us.  Major  Arms,  placing  the  cannon  on  a  little  knoll, 
limbered  it  up  and  left  twenty  men  to  guard  it;  and  then,  with 


102  STORY    OF   THE   WILD    WEST. 

the   rest  of  the   command,  he  crossed  the  river   to  meet  the 
Indians. 

Just  as  he  had  got  the  men  over  the  stream  we  heard  a  terrific, 
yelling  and  shouting  in  our  rear,  and  looking  back  to  the  knoll 
where  the  cannon  had  been  stationed,  we  saw  the  negroes,  who 
had  been  left  there  to  guard  the  gun,  flying  toward  us,  being 
pursued  by  about  one  hundred  Indians,  while  another  large  party 
of  the  latter  were  dancing  around  the  captured  cannon,  as  if  they 
had  secured  a  trophy  that  was  dangerous  for  them  to  handle. 
Major  Arms  soon  turned  his  attention  towards  the  Indians  and 
with  a  sharp  charge  drove  them  from  the  gun  and  recaptured  it, 
but  not  until  the  carriage  was  broken  and  the  gun  rendered  use- 
less. The  fight  became  hotter  when  the  Indians  were  re-enforced 
by  another  large  war  party,  that  now  came  back  at  us  in  fine 
style.  In  this  charge  five  of  our  men  were  killed  and  many  more 
wounded,  among  the  latter  being  Major  Arms  himself.  The 
colored  troops  became  fear-stricken  and  it  was  almost  impossible 
to  prevent  a  paa'c.  In  this  sorry  condition,  and  the  danger  of 
our  position  becoming  a  perilous  one  if  the  unequal  contest  was 
continued,  Major  Arms  ordered  a  retreat,  which  was  obeyed  with 
singular  spirit  and  alacrity.  The  Indians  pursued  us  for  a  while, 
but  darkness  soon  came  on  and  under  its  protecting  mantle  we 
managed  to  escape,  and  to  reach  Fort  Hays  at  daylight  the  fol- 
lowinor  morninoj  in  an  exhausted  condition. 

During  our  absence  on  this  expedition  the  cholera  broke  out 
at  the  post,  from  which  terrible  disease  five  or  six  soldiers  died 
daily,  but  the  colored  troops  had  so  much  less  dread  of  cholera 
than  they  had  of  Indians  that  there  was  no  dearth  of  nurses  for 
the  sick,  as  every  negro  at  the  post  became  a  volunteer  minister 
to  the  cholera  patients. 


104  8TOKY   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

A  MILLIONAIRE   IN   PROSPECTIVE. 

OON  after  returning  to  Fort  Hays  I  was  sent  with 
dispatches  to  Fort  Harker.  After  delivering  the 
messages  I  visited  the  town  of  Ellsworth,  about 
three  miies  west  of  Fort  Harker,  and  there  I 
met  a  man  named  William  Rose,  a  contractor  on 
the  Kansas  Pacific  railroad,  who  had  a  contract 
for  grading  near  Fort  Hays.  His  stock  had 
been  stolen  by  the  Indians,  and  his  visit  to  Ells- 
worth was  to  buy  more. 

During  the  course  of  our  conversation,  Mr.  Rose  incidentally 
remarked  that  he  had  some  idea  of  laying  out  a  town  on  the  west 
side  of  Big  creek,  about  one  mile  from  the  fort,  where  the  rail- 
road was  to  cross.  He  asked  my  opinion  cf  the  contemplated 
enterprise,  and  I  told  him  that  I  thought  it  was  *«  a  big  thing." 
He  then  proposed  taking  me  as  a  partner  in  the  scheme,  and 
suggested  that  after  we  got  the  town  laid  out  and  thrown  open 
to  the  public,  we  should  establish  a  store  and  saloon  there. 

Thinking  it  would  be  a  grand  thing  to  be  half -owner  of  a 
town,  I  at  once  accepted  his  proposition.  We  bought  a  stock  of 
such  articles  as  are  usually  found  in  a  frontier  store,  and  trans- 
ported them  to  the  place  en  Big  creek  where  we  were  to  found 
our  town.  We  hired  a  railroad  engineer  to  survey  the  site  and 
stake  it  off  into  lots,  and  we  gave  the  new  town  the  ancient  and 
historical  name  of  Rome.  As  a  "starter,"  we  donated  lots  to 
any  one  who  would  build  on  them,  but  reserved  the  corner  lots 
and  others  which  were  best  located  for  ourselves.  These  re- 
served lots  we  valued  at  fifty  dollars  each. 

A  HOWL  FROM  ROME. 

Our  modern  Rome,  like  all  mushroom  towns  along  the  line  of 
a  new  railroad,  sprang  up  as  if  by  magic,  and  in  less  than  one 
month  we  had  two  hundred  frame  and  log  houses,  three  or  four 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  105 

fftores,  several  saloons,  and  one  good  hotel.  Rome  was  looming 
up,  and  Rose  and  I  already  considered  ourselves  millionaires, 
and  thought  we  **  had  the  world  by  the  tail.*'  But  one  day  a 
fine  looking  gentleman,  calling  himself  Dr.  W.  E.  Webb,  ap- 
peared in  town,  and  dropping  into  our  store  introduced  himself 
in  a  very  pleasant  way :  — 

*«  Gentlemen,  you've  got  a  very  flourishing  little  town  here. 
Wouldn't  you  like  to  have  a  partner  in  your  enterprise?  " 

<'  No,  thank  you,"  said  I,  *'  we  have  too  good  a  thing  here  to 
whack  up  with  anybody." 

My  partner  agreed  with  me,  but  the  conversation  was  con- 
tinued, and  at  last  the  stranger  said:  — 

*'  Gentlemen,  I  am  the  agent  or  prospector  of  the  Kansas 
Pacific  railroad,  and  my  business  is  to  locate  towns  for  the  com- 
pany along  tho  line." 

"We  think  we  have  the  only  suitable  town-site  in  this  imme- 
diate locality,"  said  Mr.  Rose,  *'  and  as  a  town  is  already  started, 
we  have  saved  the  company  considerable  expense," 

<*  You  know  as  well  as  I  do,"  said  Dr.  Webb,  *«  that  the  com- 
pany expects  to  make  money  by  selling  lands  and  town  lots ;  and 
as  you  are  not  disposed  to  give  the  company  a  show,  or  share 
with  me,  I  shall  probably  have  to  start  another  town  near  you. 
Competition  is  the  life  of  trade,  you  know." 

*'  Start  your  town,  if  you  want  to.  We've  got  the  *  bulge' 
on  you,  and  can  hold  it,"  said  I,  somewhat  provoked  at  his 
threat. 

But  we  acted  too  independently  and  too  indiscreetly  for  our 
own  good.  Dr.  Webb,  the  very  next  day  after  his  interview  with 
us,  began  hauling  material  to  a  spot  about  one  mile  east  of  us, 
where  he  staked  out  a  new  town,  which  he  called  Hayo  City. 
He  took  great  pains  to  circulate  in  our  town  the  story  that  tho 
railroad  company  would  locate  their  round-houses  and  machine 
shops  at  Hays  City,  and  that  it  was  to  be  ^Ae  town  and  a  splendid 
business  center.  A  ruinous  stampede  from  our  place  was  the 
result.  People  who  had  built  in  Rome  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  they  had  settled  in  the  wrong  place ;  they  began  pulling  do wd 


106 


STORY   OF  THE    WILD    t^ST. 


their  buildings  and  moving  them 
over  to  Hays  City,  and  in  less 
than  three  days  our  once  flourish- 
ing city  had  dwindled  down  to 
the  little  store  which  Rose  and  I 
had  built. 

It  was  on  a  bright  summer 
morning  that  we  sat  on  a  pine 
box  in  front  of  our  crib,  moodily 
viewing  the  demolition  of  the  last 
building.  Three  days  before  we 
had  considered  ourselves  million- 
aires ;  on  that  morning  we  looked 
around  and  saw  that  we  were  re- 
duced to  the  ragged  edge  of 
proverty .  Our  sanguine  expect- 
ations of  realizing  immense 
fortunes  were  dashed  to  the 
ground  and  we  felt  pretty  blue. 
The  new  town  of  Hays  had  swal- 
lowed Rome  entirely.  Mr.  Rose 
facetiously  remarked  that  he  felt 
like  "  the  last  rose  of  summer,** 
with  all  his  lovely  companions 
faded  and  gone,  and  he  left 
blooming  alone.  I  told  him  I 
was  still  there,  staunch  and  true, 
but  he  replied  that  that  didn't 
help  the  matter  much.  Thus 
ends  the  brief  history  of  the 
**Rise,  Decline  and  Fall**  of 
Modern  Rome. 

It  having  become  evident  to 
me  that  there  was  very  little  hope 
of  Rome  ever  regaining  its  former 
splendor  and  prosperity,  I  sent 


HOWL    FROM    BOM) 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  107 

my  wife  and  daughter  Arta  —  who  had  been  born  at  Leavenworth 
m  the  latter  part  of  December,  1866  —  to  St.  Louis  on  a  visit. 
They  had  been  living  with  me  for  some  little  time  in  the  rear 
part  of  our  **  store.*' 

At  this  time  Mr.  Rose  and  myself  had  a  contract  under  Schu- 
macher, Miller  &  Co.,  constructors  of  the  Kansas  Pacific,  for 
grading  five  miles  of  track  westward  from  Big  creek,  and  run- 
ning through  the  site  of  Rome.  Notwithstanding  we  had  been 
leserted,  we  had  some  small  hope  that  they  would  not  be  able  to 
^et  water  at  the  new  town,  and  that  the  people  would  all  soon 
move  back  to  Rome,  as  we  really  had  the  best  location.  We 
determined,  therefore  to  go  on  with  our  grading  contract,  and 
wait  for  something  better  to  turn  up.  It  was  indeed  hard  for  us, 
who  had  been  millionaires,  to  come  down  to  the  level  of  common 
railroad  contractors  —  but  we  had  to  do  it  all  the  same. 

We  visited  the  new  town  of  Hays  almost  daily,  to  see  how  it 
was  progressing,  and  in  a  short  time  we  became  much  better  ac- 
quainted with  Dr.  Webb,  who  had  reduced  us  from  our  late  in- 
dependent to  our  present  dependent  position.  We  found  him  a 
perfect  gentlemen  —  a  whole-souled,  genial-hearted  fellow,  whom 
everybody  liked  and  respected.  Nearly  every  day  *'  Doc."  and 
I  would  take  a  ride  over  the  prairie  together  and  hunt  buffalo. 

A  LITTLE  SPORT  WITH  THE   HOSTILES. 

On  one  occasion,  having  ventured  about  ten  miles  from  the 
town,  we  spied  a  band  of  Indians  not  over  two  miles  distant,  who 
were  endeavoring  to  get  between  us  and  the  town,  and  thus  cut 
us  off.  I  was  mounted  on  my  celebrated  horse  Brigham,  the 
fieetest  steed  I  ever  owned.  On  several  subsequent  occasions  he 
saved  my  life,  and  he  was  the  horse  that  I  rode  when  I  killed 
sixty- nine  buffaloes  in  one  day.  Dr.  Webb  was  riding  a  beauti- 
ful thoroughbred  bay,  which  he  had  brought  with  him  from  the 
East.  Having  such  splendid  horses,  we  laughed  at  the  idea  of  a 
band  of  Indians  overtaking  us  on  a  square  run,  no  matter  how 
well  they  might  be  mounted,  but  not  caring  to  be  cut  off  by 
them,  we  ran  our  steeds  about  three  miles  towards  home,  thus 


108  STORY   OF   THE   WILD   WEST 

getting  between  the  braves  and  the  town.  The  Indians  were  then 
about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  distant,  and  we  stopped  and  waved 
our  hats  at  them,  and  fired  some  shots  at  long  range.  There 
were  thirteen  in  the  party,  and  as  they  were  getting  pretty  close 
to  us,  we  struck  out  for  Hays.  They  came  on  in  pursuit  and 
sent  several  scattering  shots  after  us,  but  we  easily  left  them  be- 
hind. They  finally  turned  and  rode  off  towards  the  Saline 
river. 

The  Doctor  thought  this  glorious  sport,  and  panted  to  organ- 
ize a  party  to  go  in  pursuit  of  them,  but  I  induced  him  to  give 
up  this  idea,  although  he  did  so  rather  reluctantly.  The  Doctor 
soon  became  quite  an  expert  hunter,  and  before  he  had  remained 
on  the  prairie  a  year  there  were  but  few  men  in  the  country  who 
could  kill  more  buffaloes  on  a  hunt  than  he. 

Being  aware  that  Eose  and  myself  felt  rather  down-hearted 
over  our  deserted  village,  the  Doctor  one  day  said  that,  as  he  had 
made  the  proprietors  of  Rome  ''howl,"  he  would  give  us  two 
lots  each  in  Hays,  and  did  so.  "We  finally  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  our  old  town  was  dead  beyond  redemption  or  revival, 
and  we  thereupon  devoted  our  undivided  attention  to  our  railroad 
contract.  One  day  we  were  pushed  for  horses  to  work  on  our 
scrapers — so  I  hitched  up  Brigham,  to  see  how  he  would  work. 
He  was  not  much  used  to  that  kind  of  labor,  and  I  was  about  giving 
up  the  idea  of  making  a  work-horse  of  him,  when  one  of  the 
men  called  to  me  that  there  were  some  buffaloes  coming  over  the 
hill.  As  there  had  been  no  buffaloes  seen  anj^vvhere  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  camp  for  several  days,  we  had  become  rather  short  of 
meat.  I  immediately  told  one  of  our  men  to  hitch  his  horses  to  a 
wagon  and  follow  me,  as  I  was  going  out  after  the  herd,  and  we 
would  bring  back  some  fresh  meat  for  supper.  I  had  no  saddle, 
as  mine  had  been  left  at  the  camp  a  mile  distant,  so  taking  the 
harness  from  Brigham,  I  mounted  him  bareback  and  started  out 
after  the  game,  being  armed  with  my  celebrated  buffalo-killer, 
'  *  Lucretia  Borgia, ' ' — a  newly-improved  breech-loading  needle  gun, 
which  I  had  obtained  from  the  government. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  109 

BRIGHAM  TO  THE  FRONT. 

While  I  was  riding  toward  the  buffaloes  I  observed  five  horse- 
men coming  out  from  the  fort,  who  had  evidently  seen  the  buffa- 
loes from  the  post,  and  were  going  out  for  a  chase.  They  proved 
to  be  some  newly-arrived  officers  in  that  part  of  the  country,  and 
when  they  came  up  closer,  I  could  see  by  the  shoulder  straps 
that  the  senior  officer  was  a  captain,  while  the  others  were  lieu- 
tenants. 

''Hello!  my  friend,"  sang  out  the  Captain,  ''I  see  you  are 
after  the  same  game  we  are." 

'  *  Yes,  sir ;  I  saw  those  buffaloes  coming  over  the  hill,  and  as 
we  were  about  out  of  fresh  meat  1  thought  I  would  go  and  get 
some,"  said  I. 

They  scanned  my  cheap-looking  outfit  pretty  closely,  and  as 
my  horse  was  not  very  prepossessing  in  appearance,  having  on 
only  a  blind  bridle,  and  otherwise  looking  like  a  work-horse,  they 
evidently  considered  me  a  green  hand  at  hunting. 

''  Do  you  expect  to  catch  those  buffaloes  on  that  Gothic  steed?" 
laughingly  asked  the  captain. 

*'  I  hope  so,  by  pushing  on  the  reins  hard  enough,"  was  my 
reply. 

*'  You'll  never  catch  them  in  the  world,  my  fine  fellow,"  said 
the  captain.  '*  It  requires  a  fast  horse  to  overtake  the  animals 
on  these  prairies." 

**  Does  it?"  asked  I,  as  if  I  didn't  know  it. 

'*  Yes;  but  come  along  with  us  as  we  are  going  to  kill  them 
more  for  pleasure  than  anything  else.  All  we  want  are  the 
tongues  and  a  piece  of  tender-loin,  and  you  may  have  all  that  is 
left, ' '  said  the  generous  man. 

"  I  am  much  obliged  to  you.  Captain,  and  will  follow  you,"  I 
replied. 

There  were  eleven  buffaloes  in  the  herd  and  they  were  not 
more  than  a  mile  from  us.  The  officers  dashed  ahead  as  if  they 
had  a  sure  thing  on  killing  them  all  before  I  could  come  up  with 
them;  but  I  had  noticed  that  the  herd  was  making  towards  the 


110  STORY    or   THE   WILD   WEbT.    " 

creek  for  water,  and  as  I  knew  buffalo  nature,  I  was  perfectly 
aware  that  it  would  be  diflScult  to  turn  them  from  their  direct 
course.  Thereupon,  I  started  towards  the  creek  to  head  them 
off,  while  the  officers  came  up  in  the  rear  and  gave  chase. 

A  PRETTY  BUFFALO  DRIVE. 

The  buffaloes  came  rushing  past  me  not  a  hundred  yards  dis- 
tant, with  the  officers  about  three  hundred  yards  m  the  rear. 
Now,  thought  I,  is  the  time  to  "  get  my  work  in,*'  as  they  say; 
and  I  pulled  the  bLnd-bridle  from  my  horse,  who  knew  as  well 
as  I  did  that  we  were  out  for  buffaloes  —  as  he  was  a  trained 
hunter.  The  moment  the  bridle  was  off,  he  started  at  the  top 
of  his  speed,  running  m  ahead  of  the  officers,  and  with  a  few 
jumps  he  brought  me  alongside  of  the  rear  buffalo.  Raising  old 
**  Lucretia  Borgia  '*  to  my  shoulder,  I  fired,  and  killed  the  animal 
at  the  first  shot.  My  horse  then  carried  me  alongside  the  no' 
one,  not  ten  feet  away,  and  I  dropped  him  at  the  next  tire. 

As  soon  as  one  buffalo  would  fail,  Brigham  would  take  me  so 
close  to  the  next  that  I  could  almost  touch  it  with  my  gun.  In 
this  manner  I  killed  the  eleven  buffaloes  with  twelve  shots;  and, 
as  the  last  animal  dropped,  my  horse  stopped.  I  jumped  to  the 
ground,  knowing  that  he  would  not  ieave  me  —  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  I  had  been  riding  him  without  bridle,  reins  or  saddle  — 
and  turning  around  as  the  party  of  a-stonished  officers  rode  up,  I 
said  to  them :  — 

"  Now,  gentlemen,  allow  me  to  present  to  you  all  the  tongues 
and  tender-loins  you  wish  from  these  buffaloes.*' 

Captain  Graham,  for  such  I  soon  learned  was  his  name,  re- 
plied :  **  Well,  I  never  saw  the  like  before.  Who  under  the, sun 
are  you,  anyhow?" 

"  My  name  is  Cody,"  said  I. 

One  of  the  lieutenants,  Thompson  by  name,  who  had  met  me 
at  Fort  Harker,  then  recognized  me,  and  said:  '*  Why,  that  is 
Bill  Cody,  our  old  scout."  He  tiien  introduced  me  to  the  other 
officers,  who  were  Captain  Graham  of  the  Tenth  Cavalry,  and 
Lieutenants  Eeed,  Emmick  and  EzekieL 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OJF   BUFFALO   BILL. 


Ill 


Captain  Graham,  who  was  considerable  of  a  horseman,  greatly 
admired  Brigham,  and  said:  *'  That  horse  of  yours  has  running 
points." 

'*  Yes,  sir ;  he  has  not  only  got  the  points,  he  is  a  runner  and 
knows  how  to  use  the  points,"  said  I. 

*«  So  I  noticed,"  said  the  captain. 

They  ail  finally  dismounted,  and  we  countinued  chatting  for 
some  little  time  upon  the  different  subjects  of  horses,  buffaloes, 


ACCEPT  THE  TONGUES    AND   TENDER-LOINS. 

Indians  and  hunting.  They  felt  a  little  sore  at  not  getting  a  single 
shot  at  the  buffaloes,  but  the  way  I  had  killed  them  had,  they 
said,  amply  repaid  them  for  their  disappointment.  They  bad 
read  of  such  feats  in  books,  but  this  was  the  first  time  they  had 
ever  seen  anything  of  the  kind  with  their  own  eyes.  It  was  the 
first  time,  also,  that  they  had  ever  witnessed  or  heard  of  a  white 
Qian  running  buffaloes  on  horseback  without  a  saddle  or  a  bridle. 
I  told  them  that  Brigham  knew  nearly  as  much  about  the  busi- 
ness as  I  did,  and  if  I  had  twenty  bridles  they  would  have  been  of 


112  STomr  of  the  wild  wesx 

no  use  to  me,  as  he  understood  everything,  and  all  that  he  expected 
of  me  was  to  do  the  shooting.  It  is  a  fact,  that  Brigham  would 
stop  if  a  buffalo  did  not  fall  at  the  first  fire,  so  as  to  give  me  a 
second  chance,  but  if  I  did  not  kill  the  buffalo  then,  he  would  go 
on,  as  if  to  say,  "  You  are  no  good,  and  I  will  not  fool  away  my 
time  by  giving  you  more  than  two  shots."  Brigham  was  the  best 
horse  I  ever  owned  or  saw  for  buffalo  chasing. 

Our  conversation  was  interrupted  in  a  little  while  by  the  arri- 
val of  the  wagon  which  1  had  ordered  out;  I  loaded  the  hind- 
quarters of  the  youngest  buffaloes  on  it,  and  then  cut  out  the 
tongues  and  tender-loins,  and  presented  them  to  the  officers,  after 
which  I  rode  towards  the  fort  with  them,  while  the  wagox  re- 
turned to  camp. 

Captain  Graham  told  me  that  he  expected  to  be  stationed  at 
Fort  Hays  during  the  summer,  and  would  probably  be  sent  out 
on  a  scouting  expedition,  and  in  case  he  was  he  would  like  to  have 
me  accompany  him  as  scout  and  guide.  I  replied  that  notwith- 
standing I  was  very  busy  with  my  railroad  contract  I  would  go 
with  him  if  he  was  ordered  out.  I  then  left  the  officers  and  re- 
turned to  our  camp. 

IX  PURSUIT  OF  INDIANS. 

That  very  night  the  Indians  unexpectedly  made  a  raid  on  the 
horses,  and  ran  off  ^vo  or  six  of  our  very  best  work-teams,  leav- 
ing us  ill  a  very  crippled  condition.  At  daylight  I  jumped  on  old 
Brigham  and  rode  to  Fort  Hays,  where  I  reported  the  affair  to  the 
commanding  officer;  Captain  Graham  and  Lieutenant  Emmick 
were  at  once  ordered  out  with  their  company  of  one  hundred  col- 
ored troops,  to  pursue  the  Indians  and  recover  our  stock  if  possi- 
bl3.  In  an  hour  we  were  under  way.  The  darkies  had  never 
been  in  an  Indian  fight  and  were  anxious  to  catch  the  band  we 
were  after  and  *'  Sweep  de  red  debels  from  off  de  face  of  de 
yearth."  Captain  Graham  was  a  brave,  dashing  officer,  eager  to 
make  a  record  for  himself,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  I  could 
trail  fast  enough  to  keep  out  of  the  way  of  the  impatient  soldiers. 
Every  few  moments  Captain  Graham  would  ride  up  to  see  if  the 


AUTOBIOGBAPHT  OF  BUFFALO  BILL,  113 

trail  was  freshening  and  how  soon  we  should  be  likely  to  over- 
take the  thieves. 

At  last  we  reached  the  Saline  river,  where  we  found  the  In- 
dians had  only  stopped  to  feed  and  water  the  animals,  and  had 
then  pushed  on  towards  the  Solomon.  After  crossing  the  Saline 
they  made  no  effort  to  conceal  their  trail,  thinking  they  would 
not  be  pursued  beyond  that  point  —  consequenntly  we  were  able  to 
make  excellent  time.  We  reached  the  Solomon  before  sunset,  and 
came  to  a  halt ;  we  surmised  that  if  the  Indians  were  camped  on 
this  river,  that  they  had  no  suspicion  of  our  being  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. I  advised  Captain  Graham  to  remain  with  the  company 
where  it  was,  while  I  went  ahead  on  a  scout  to  find  the  Indians, 
if  they  were  in  the  vicinity. 

After  riding  some  distance  down  the  ravine  that  led  to  the 
river,  I  left  my  horse  at  the  foot  of  a  hill;  then,  creeping  to  the 
top,  I  looked  cautiously  over  the  summit  upon  the  Solomon  be- 
low. I  at  cnce  discovered  in  plain  view,  not  a  mile  away,  a  herd 
of  horses  grazing,  our  lost  ones  among  them;  very  shortly  1 
made  out  the  Indian  camp,  noted  :ts  lay,  and  how  we  could  best 
approach  it.  Keporting  to  Captain  Graham,  whose  eyes  fairly 
danced  with  delight  at  the  prospect  of  surprising  and  whipping 
the  red-skins,  we  concluded  to  wait  until  the  moon  rose,  then  get 
into  the  timber  so  as  to  approach  the  Indians  as  closely  as  possi- 
ble wit  ho  at  being  discovered,  and  finally  to  make  a  sudden  dash 
into  their  camp  and  clean  them  out.  We  had  everything  «'  cut 
and  dried,"  as  we  thought,  but  alas!  just  as  we  were  nearingthe 
point  where  we  were  to  take  the  open  ground  and  make  our 
charge,  one  of  the  colored  gentlemen  became  so  excited  that 
he  fired  off  his  gun.  We  immediately  commenced  the  charge, 
but  the  firing  of  the  gun  and  the  noise  of  Our  rush  through  the 
crackling  timber  alarmed  the  Indians,  who  at  once  sprang  to  their 
horses  and  were  away  from  us  before  we  reached  their  late  camp. 
Captain  Gndiam  called  out  <*  Follow  me,  boys!  "  which  we  did 
for  a  while,  but  in  the  darkness  the  Indians  made  good  their  es- 
cape. The  bugle  then  gave  the  recall,  but  some  of  the  darkies 
did  not  get  back  until  m^  rning,  having,  in  their  fright,  allowed 


114  STORY   OF   THE    WILD    Wi!.ST. 

their  horses  to  run  away  with  them  withersoever  it  suited  the  ani- 
mals' pleasure  to  go. 

We  followed  the  trail  the  next  day  for  awhile,  but  as  it  became 
evident  that  it  would  be  a  long  chase  to  overtake  the  enemy,  and 
as  we  had  rations  only  for  the  day,  we  commenced  the  return. 
Captain  Graham  was  bitterly  disappomted  m  not  being  able  to 
get  the  fight  when  it  seemed  so  near  at  one  time.  He  roundly 
cursed  the  "  nigger**  who  fired  the  gun,  and  as  a  punishment  for 
his  carelessness,  he  was  compelled  to  walk  all  the  way  back  to 
Fort  Hays. 

HOW   I   RECEIVED   THE  TITLE  OF   BUFFALO   BILL. 

The  construction  of  the  Kansas  Pacific  railroad  was  pushed 
forward  with  great  rapidity,  and  when  track-iaying  began  it  was 
only  a  very  short  time  before  the  road  was  ready  for  construction 
trains  as  far  west  as  the  heart  of  the  buffaiO  country.  Twelve 
hundred  men  were  employed  in  the  work,  ana  as  the  Indian? 
were  very  troublesome  it  became  difficult  to  obtain  sufficient  fresh 
meat  to  feed  such  an  army  of  workmen.  This  embarrassment 
was  at  length  overcome  by  the  construction  company  engaging 
hunters  to  kill  buffaloes,  the  flesh  of  which  is  equal  to  the  best 
corn-fed  beef. 

Having  heard  of  my  experience  and  success  as  a  buffalo  hunter, 
Messrs.  Goddard  Brothers,  who  had  the  contract  for  boarding 
the  employees  of  the  road,  met  me  in  Hays  City  one  day  and 
made  me  a  good  offer  to  become  their  hunter,  and  I  at  once  en- 
tered into  a  contract  with  them.  They  said  that  they  would  re- 
quire about  twelve  buffaloes  per  day ;  that  would  be  twenty-four 
hams,  as  we  took  only  the  hind-quarters  and  hump  of  each  buf- 
falo. As  this  was  to  be  dangerous  work,  on  account  of  the 
Indians,  who  were  riding  all  over  that  section  of  the  country, 
and  as  I  would  be  obliged  to  go  from  five  to  ten  miles  from  tne 
road  each  day  to  hunt  the  buffaloes,  accompanied  by  oniy  one 
man  with  a  light  wagon  for  the  transportation  of  the  meat,  I  of 
course  demanded  a  large  salary.  They  could  afford  to  remuner- 
ate me  well,  because  the  meat  would  not  cost  them  anything. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   BUFFALO    BILL.  115 

'They  agreed  to  give  me  ^ve  hundred  dollars  per  month,  provided 
I  furnished  them  all  the  fresh  meat  required. 

Leaving  my  partner,  Rose,  to  complete  our  grading  contract, 
I  immediately  began  my  career  as  a  buffalo  hunter  for  the  Kan- 
sas Pacific  railroad,  and  it  was  not  long  before  I  acquired  con- 
siderable notoriety.  It  was  at  this  time  that  the  very  appropriate 
name  of  *' Buffalo  Bill"  was  conferred  upon  me  by  the  road- 
hands.  It  has  stuck  to  me  ever  since,  and  I  have  never  been 
ashamed  of  it. 

During  my  engagement  as  hunter  for  the  company  —  a  period 
of  less  than  eighteen  months  —  I  killed  4,280  buffaloes;  and  J 
had  many  exciting  adventures  with  the  Indians,  as  well  as  hair 
breadth  escapes,  some  of  which  are  well  worth  relating. 

A   RACE   FOR  MY  SCALP. 

One  day  in  the  spring  of  1868  I  mounted  Brigham  and  started 
for. Smoky  Hill  river.  After  galloping  about  twenty  miles  I 
reached  the  top  of  a  small  hill  overlooking  the  valley  of  that 
beautiful  stream.  As  I  was  gazing  on  the  landscape,  I  suddenly 
saw  a  band  of  about  thirty  Indians  nearly  half  a  mile  distant ; 
I  knew  by  the  way  they  jumped  on  their  horses  that  they  had  seen 
me  as  soon  as  I  came  into  sight. 

The  only  chance  I  had  for  my  life  was  to  make  a  run  for  it, 
and  I  immediately  wheeled  and  started  back  towards  the  railroad. 
Brigham  seemed  to  understand  what  was  up,  and  he  struck  oui 
as  if  he  comprehended  that  it  was  to  be  a  run  for  life.  He 
crossed  a  ravine  in  a  few  jumps,  and  on  reaching  a  ridge  beyond 
I  drew  rein,  looked  back  and  saw  the  Indians  coming  for  me  at 
full  speed  and  evidently  well  mounted.  I  would  have  had  little 
or  no  fear  of  being  overtaken  if  Brigham  had  been  fresh  ;  but  as 
he  was  not,  I  felt  uncertain  as  to  how  he  would  stand  a  long 
chase. 

My  pursuers  seemed  to  be  gaining  on  me  a  little,  and  I  let 
Brigham  shoot  ahead  again;  when  we  had  run  about  three  miles 
further,  some  eight  or  nine  of  the  Indians  were  not  over  two 
tiundred  yards  behind,  and^five  or  six  of  these  seemed  to  be 


116  STORY   OF  THE    WILD   WEST. 

shortening  the  gap  at  every  jump.  Brigham  now  exerted  him- 
self more  than  ever,  and  for  the  next  three  or  four  miles  he  got 
<'  right  down  to  business,'*  and  did  some  of  the  prettiest  running 
I  ever  saw.  But  the  Indians  were  about  as  well  mounted  as  I  was, 
and  one  of  their  horses  in  particular  —  a  spotted  animal  —  was 
gaining  on  me  all  the  time.  Nearly  all  the  other  horses  were  strung 
out  behind  for  a  distance  of  two  miles,  but  still  chasing  after  me. 

A  GREAT  SHOT. 

The  Indian  who  was  riding  the  spotted  horse  was  armed  with 
a  rifle,   and  would  occasionally  send  a  bullet  whistling  along, 


I 

CHECKING  A   HOT  PURSUIT. 

sometimes  striking  the  ground  ahead  of  me.  I  saw  that  thi8  fel- 
low must  be  checked,  or  a  stray  bullet  from  his  gun  might  hit  me 
or  my  horse;  so,  suddenly  stopping  Brigham  and  quickly  wheel- 
ing him  around,  I  raised  old  "  Lucretia  "  to  my  shoulder,  took 
deliberate  aim  at  the  Indian  and  his  horse,  hoping  to  hit  one  or 
the  other,  and  fired.  He  was  not  over  eighty  yards  away  from 
me  at  this  time,  and  at  the  crack  of  my  rifle  down  went  his 
horse.    Not  waiting  to  see  if  he  recovered,  I  turned  Brigh^ip 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  117 

and  in  a  moment  we  were  again  fairly  flying  towards  our  desti- 
nation ;  we  had  urgent  business  about  that  time,  and  were  in  a 
hur^y  to  get  there. 

1  he  other  Indians  had  gained  on  us  while  I  was  engaged  shoot- 
ing at  their  leader,  and  they  sent  several  shots  whizzing  past  me, 
but  fortunately  none  of  them  hit  the  intended  mark.  To  re- 
turn their  compliment  I  occasionally  wheeled  myself  in  the  sad- 
dle and  fired  biick  at  them,  and  one  of  my  shots  broke  the  leg 
of  one  of  their  horses,  which  left  its  rider  hors  (e)  de  combat j 
as  the  French  would  say. 

Only  seven  or  eight  Indians  now  remained  in  dangerous  prox- 
imity to  me,  and  as  their  horses  wero  beginning  to  lag  somewhat, 
I  checked  my  faithful  old  steed  a  little,  to  allow  him  an  oppor- 
tunity to  draw  an  extra  breath  or  two.  I  had  determined,  if  it 
should  come  to  the  worst,  to  drop  into  a  buffalo  wallow,  where  I 
could  stand  the  Indians  off  for  a  while ;  but  I  was  not  compelled 
to  do  this,  as  Brighara  carried  me  through  most  no*bly. 

SAUCE    FOR   THE    GANDEFl, 

The  chase  was  kept  up  until  we  came  within  three  miles  of  the 
end  of  the  railroad  track,  where  two  companies  of  soldiers  were 
stationed  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  the  workmen  from  the 
Indians.  One  of  the  outposts  saw  the  Indians  chasing  me  across 
the  prairie  and  gave  the  alarm.  In  a  few  minutes  I  saw,  greatly 
to  my  delight,  men  coming  on  foot,  and  cavalrymen  too  came 
galloping  to  my  rescue  as  soon  as  they  could  mount  their  horses. 
When  the  Indians  observed  this,  they  turned  and  ran  in  the  di- 
rection  from  which  they  had  come.  In  a  very  few  minutes  I  was 
met  by  some  of  the  infantrymen  and  trackmen,  and  jumping  to 
the  ground  and  pulling  the  blanket  and  saddle  off  of  Brigham,  1 
told  them  what  he  had  done  for  me ;  they  at  once  took  him  in 
charge,  led  him  around,  and  rubbed  him  down  so  vigorously  that 
I  thought  they  would  rub  him  to  death. 

Captain  Nolan,  of  the  Tenth  Cavalry,  now  came  up  with  for- 
ty of  his  men,  and  upon  learning  what  had  happened  he  de- 
termined to  pursne  the  Indians,     Ho  kindly  offered  me  one  of 


118  STORY  OF  THE  WILD   WEST. 

the  cavalry  horses,  and  after  putting  my  own  saddle  and  bridle 
on  the  animal,  we  started  out  after  the  flying  Indians,  who  only 
a  few  minutes  before  had  been  making  it  so  uncomfortably  live- 
ly for  me.  Our  horses  were  all  fresh  and  of  excellent  stock,  and 
we  soon  began  shortening  the  distance  between  ourselves  and  the 
redskins.  Before  they  had  gone  five  miles  we  overtook  and  killed 
eight  of  their  number.  The  others  succeeded  in  making  their  es- 
cape. On  coming  up  to  the  place  where  I  had  killed  the  first 
horse — the  spotted  one — -on  my  '*home  run,"  I  found  that  my 
bullet  had  struck  him  in  the  forehead  and  killed  him  instantly 
He  was  a  noble  animal,  and  ought  to  have  been  engaged  in  be^ 
ter  business. 

When  we  got  back  to  camp  1  found  old  Brigham  grazing 
quietly  and  contentedly  on  the  grass.  He  looked  up  at  me  as  if 
to  ask  if  we  had  got  away  with  any  of  those  fellows  who  had 
chased  us.     I  believe  he  read  the  answer  in  my  eyes. 

RUN   TO   COVER   BY    INDIANS,  • 

Another  very  exciting  hunting  adventure  of  mine  which  de- 
serves a  place  in  these  reminiscences  occurred  near  Saline  river. 
My  companion  at  the  time  was  a  man  called  Scotty,  a  butcher, 
who  generally  accompanied  me  on  these  hunting  expeditions  to 
cut  up  the  buffaloes  and  load  the  meat  into  a  light  wagon  which 
he  brought  to  carry  it  in.  He  was  a  brave  little  fellow  and  a  most 
excellent  shot.  I  had  killed  some  fifteen  buffaloes  and  we  had 
started  for  home  with  a  wagon-load  of  meat.  When  within  about 
eight  miles  of  our  destination  we  suddenly  ran  en  to  a  party  of 
at  least  thirty  Indians  who  came  riding  out  of  the  head  of  a 
ravine. 

On  this  occasion  I  was  mounted  on  a  most  excellent  horse  be- 
longing to  the  railroad  company  and  could  easily  have  made  my 
escape ;  but  of  course  I  could  not  leave  Scotty,  who  wa^  driving 
a  pair  of  mules  hitched  to  the  wagon.  To  think  was  to  act  io 
those  days ;  and  as  Scotty  and  I  had  often  talked  over  a  plan  of 
defense  in  case  we  were  ever  surprised  by  Indians,  we  instantly 
proceeded  to  carry  it  out.    We  iumDed  to  the  ground,  unhitched 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  119 

the  mules  quicker  than  it  had  ever  been  done  before,  and  tied 
them  and  my  horse  to  the  wagon.  We  threw  the  buffalo  hams 
apon  the  ground  and  piled  them  around  the  wheels  in  such  a 
shape  as  to  form  a  breast-work.  All  this  was  done  in  a  shorter 
time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it;  and  then,  with  our  extra  box  of  am- 
munition and  three  or  four  extra  revolvers,  which  we  always 
carried  along  with  us,  we  crept  under  the  wagon  and  were  fully 
prepared  to  give  our  visitors  the  warmest  kind  of  a  reception. 

The  Indians  came  on  pell-mell,  but  when  they  were  within  one 
hundred  yards  of  us  we  opened  such  a  sudden  and  galling  fire 
upon  them  that  they  held  up  and  began  to  circle  arou  d  the  wagon 
instead  of  ri  ling  up  to  take  tea  with  us.  They  however  charged 
back  and  forth  upon  us  several  times  and  their  shots  killed  the 
two  mules  and  my  horse;  but  we  gave  it  to  them  right  and  left 
and  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  three  of  them  fall  to  the  ground 
not  more  than  fifty  yards  away.  On  percei vmg  how  well  we  were 
fortified  and  protected  by  our  breast-work  of  hams,  they  probably 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  would  be  a  difficult  undertakinor  to 
dislodge  us,  for  they  drew  off  and  gave  us  a  rest,  but  only  a 
short  one. 

SENDING    UP   A   SIGNAL    FOU    HELP. 

This  was  the  kind  of  fighting  we  had  been  expecting  for  a  long 
time,  as  we  knew  that  sooner  or  later  we  would  be  '*  jumped  " 
by  Indians  while  we  were  out  buffalo  hunting.  I  had  an  under- 
standing with  the  officers  who  commanded  the  troops  at  the  end 
of  the  track,  that  in  case  their  pickets  should  at  any  time  notice 
a  smoke  in  the  direction  of  our  huntmg  ground  they  were  to  give 
the  alarm,  so  that  assistance  might  be  sent  to  us,  for  the  smoke 
was  to  indicate  that  we  were  in  danjrer. 

I  now  resolved  to  signal  to  the  troops  in  the  manner  agreed 
on  and  at  the  first  opportunity  set  fire  to  the  grass  on  the  wmd- 
ward  side  of  the  wagon.  The  fire  spread  over  the  prairie  at  a 
rapid  rate,  causing  a  dense  smoke  which  I  knew  would  be  seen 
at  the  camp.  The  Indians  did  not  seem  to  understand  this  strate- 
gic movement.  They  got  off  from  their  horses  and  from  behind 
a  bank  or  knoil  again  peppered  away  at  us ;  but  we  were  well 


120 


STORY  OF  THE  WILD  WEST. 


fortified,  and  whenever  they  showed  thehr  heads  we  let  them 
know  that  we  could  shoot  as  well  as  they. 

After  we  had  been  cooped  up  in  our  little  fort  for  about  an 
hour,  we  discovered  cavalry  coming  toward  us  at  full  gallop  over 
the  prairie.  Our  signal  of  distress  had  proved  a  success.  The 
Indians  saw  the  soldiers  at  about  the  same  time  that  we  did,  and 


A   SIGNAL  OF   DISTRESS. 

thinking  that  it  would  not  be  healthy  for  them  to  remain  much 
longer  in  that  vicinity,  they  mounted  their  horses  and  disappeared 
down  the  caiions  of  the  creek.  When  the  soldiers  came  up  we  had 
the  satisfaction  of  showing  them  five  **^oo(i"  Indians  ^.  that  it 
dead  ones.  Two  hours  later  we  pulled  into  camp  with  our  load 
of  meat,  which  was  found  to  be  all  right,  except  that  it  had  a 
few  oullets  and  arrows  sticking  in  it. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    0±    BUFFALO   BILL. 


121 


CHAPTER    IX. 


CHAMPION    BUFFALO   KILLER ^ 

RETTY  soon  after  tlie  adventures  men- 
tioned in  the  preceding  chapter,  I 
had  my  celebrated  buffalo  hunt  with 
Billy  Comstock,  a  noted  scout,  guide 
and  interpreter,  who  was  then  chief  of 
scouts  at  Fort  Wallace,  Kansas. 
Comstock  had  the  reputation,  for  a  long 
time,  of  being  a  most  successful  buffalo 
hunter,  and  the  officers  in  particular, 
who  had  seen  him  kill  buffaloes,  were 
veiy  desirous  of  backing  him  in  a 
match  against  me.  It  was  accordingly 
arranged  that  I  should  shoot  him  a 
buffalo -killing  match,  and  the  prelim- 
inaries were  easily  and  satisfactorily 
I -^4^^  agreed  upon.     We  were  to  hunt   one 

p   ifi^  day  of  eight  hours,  beginning  at  eight 

l  ^^  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  closing  at 

)  four  o'clcck  in  the   afternoon.     The 

wager  was  five  hundred  dollars  a  side,  and  the  man  who  should 
kill  the  greater  number  of  buffaloes  from  on  horseback  was  to  be 
declared  the  winner. 

The  hunt  took  place  about  twenty  miles  east  of  Sheridan,  and 
as  it  had  been  pretty  well  advertised  and  noised  abroad,  a  large 
crowd  witnessed  the  interesting  and  exciting  scene.  An  excur- 
sion party,  mostly  from  St.  Louis,  consisting  of  about  a  hundred 
gentlemen  and  ladies,  came  out  on  a  special  train  to  view  the 
sport,  and  among  the  number  was  my  wife,  with  little  baby 
Arta,  who  had  come  to  remain  with  me  for  a  while. 

The  buflfaloes  were  quite  plenty,  and  it  was  agreed  that  we 
should  go  into  the  same  herd  at  the  same  time  and  **  make  a 


122  STORY   OF   THE    WILD    W^EST. 

run,"  as  we  called  it,  each  one  killing  as  many  m^  [)oesibl6.  A 
referee  was  to  follow  each  of  us  on  horseback  when  we  ente»:ed 
the  herd,  and  count  the  buffaloes  killed  by  each  man.  The  St. 
Louis  excursionists,  as  well  as  the  other  spectators,  rode  out  to 
the  vicinity  of  the  hunting  grounc.^  in  wagons  and  on  horseback, 
keepir.g  well  out  of  sight  of  the  buffaloes,  so  as  not  to  frighten 
them,  until  the  time  came  for  us  to  dash  into  the  herd  —  when 
they  were  to  come  up  as  near  as  they  pleased  and  witness  the 
ehase. 

We  were  fortunate  in  the  first  run  in  getting  good  ground. 
Combiock  was  mounted  on  one  of  his  favorite  horses,  while  J 
rode  old  Brigham.  I  felt  confident  that  I  had  the  advantage  of 
Comstock  in  two  things:  first,  1  had  the  best  buffalo  horse  that 
ever  made  a  track;  and  second,  I  was  using  what  was  known  at 
that  cime  as  the  needle-gun,  a  breech-loading  Springfield  rifle  — 
calibre  50,  — it  was  my  favorite  old  "  Lucretia,"  which  has  al- 
ready been  introduced  to  the  notice  of  the  reader ;  while  Comstock 
was  armed  with  a  Henry  rifle,  and  although  he  could  fire  a  few 
shots  quicker  than  I  could,  yet  1  was  pretty  certain  that  it  did 
not  carry  powder  and  lead  enough  to  do  execution  equal  to  my 
calibre  50. 

A  DASH   INTO   THE   HERD. 

At  last  the  time  came  to  begin  the  match.  Comstock  and  I 
dashed  into  a  herd,  followed  by  the. referees.  The  buffaloes 
separated;  Comstock  took  the  left  bunch  and  I  the  right.  My 
great  forte  in  killing  buffaloes  from  horseback  was  to  get  them 
circling  by  riding  my  horse  at  the  head  of  the  herd,  shooting 
the  leaders,  thus  crowding  their  followers  to  the  left,  till  they 
would  finally  circle  round  and  round. 

On  this  morning  the  buffaloes  were  very  accommodating,  and 
I  soon  had  them  running  in  a  beautiful  circle,  when  I  dropped 
them  thick  and  fast,  until  I  had  killed  thirty-eight ;  which  fin- 
ished my  run.  Comstock  began  shooting  at  the  rear  of  the  herd 
which  he  was  chasing,  and  they  kept  straight  on.  He  succeeded, 
however,  in  killing  twenty-three,  but  they  were  scattered  ever 
a  distance  of  three  miles,  while  mine  lay  close  together.     I  had 


124  STORY   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

*'  nursed'*  my  buffaloes,  as  a  billiard-player  does  tne  balls  when 
he  makes  a  big  run. 

After  the  result  of  the  first  run  had  been  duly  announced,  our 
St.  Louis  excursion  friends  —  who  had  approached  to  the  place 
where  we  had  stopped  —  set  out  a  lot  of  champagne,  which  they 
had  brought  with  them,  and  which  proved  a  good  drink  on  a 
Kansas  prairie,  and  a  bu:ffaio  hunter  was  a  good  man  to  get  away 
with  it. 

While  taking  a  short  rest,  we  suddenly  spied  another  herd  oi 
buffaloes  coming  toward  us.  It  was  only  a  small  drove,  and  we 
at  once  prepared  to  give  the  animals  a  lively  reception.  They 
proved  to  be  a  herd  of  cows  and  calves  ■ —  which,  by  the  way,  are 
quicker  in  their  movements  than  the  bulls.  We  charged  in 
among  them,  and  I  concluded  my  run  with  a  score  of  eighteen, 
while  Comstock  killed  fourteen.  The  score  now  stood  fifty-sij 
to  thirty -seven,  in  my  favor. 

AN   EXHIBITION  FOR  THE   LADIES. 

Again  the  excursion  party  approached,  and  once  more  the 
champagne  was  tapped.  After  we  had  eaten  a  lunch  which  was 
spread  for  us,  wo  resumed  the  hunt.  Striking  out  for  a  distance 
of  three  miles,  we  came  up  close  to  another  herd.  As  I  was  so 
far  ahead  of  my  competitor  in  the  number  killed,  I  thought  I 
could  afford  to  give  an  extra  exhibition  of  my  skill.  I  had  told 
the  ladies  that  I  would,  on  the  next  run,  ride  my  horse  without 
saddle  or  bridle.  This  had  raised  the  excitement  to  fever  heat 
among  the  excursionists,  and  I  remember  one  fair  lady  who  en- 
deavored to  prevail  upon  me  not  to  attempt  it. 

*'  That's  nothing  at  all,"  said  I;  «« I  have  done  it  many  a  time, 
and  old  Brigham  knows  as  well  as  I  what  I  am  doing,  and  some- 
times a  great  deal  better." 

So,  leaving  my  saddle  and  bridle  with  the  wagons,  we  rode  to 
the  windward  of  the  buffaloes,  as  usual,  and  when  within  a  few 
hundred  yards  of  them  we  dashed  into  the  herd.  I  soon  had 
thirteen   laid  out  on  the  ground,  the   last   one  of  which  I  had 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  125 

driven  down  close  to  the  wagons,  where  the  ladiea  were,  it 
frightened  some  of  the  tender  creatures  to  see  the  buffalo  coming  at 
full  speed  directly  toward  them ;  but  when  he  had  got  within  fifty 
yards  of  one  of  the  wagons,  I  shot  him  dead  in  his  tracks.  This 
made  my  sixty-ninth  buffalo,  and  finished  my  third  and  last  run, 
Comstock  having  killed  forty-six. 

As  it  was  now  late  in  the  afternoon,  Comstock  and  his  backers 
gave  up  the  idea  that  he  couid  beat  me,  and  thereupon  the  ref 
erees  declared  me  the  winner  of  the  match,  as  well  as  the  cham 
pion  buffalo-hunter  of  the  plains.* 

On  our  way  back  to  camp,  we  took  with  us  some  of  the  choice 
meat  and  finest  heads.  In  this  connection  it  will  not  bo  out  of 
place  to  state  that  during  the  time  I  was  hunting  for  the  Kansas 
Pacific,  I  always  brought  into  camp  the  best  buffalo  heads,  and 
turned  them  over  to  the  company,  who  found  a  very  good  use 
for  them.  They  had  them  mounted  in  the  best  possible  manner, 
and  sent  them  to  all  the  principal  cities  and  railroad  centers  in 
the  country,  having  them  placed  in  prominent  positions  at  the 
leading  hotels,  depots,  and  other  public  buildings,  as  t  sort  of 
trade-mark,  or  advertiiement,  of  the  Kansas  Pacific  railroad; 
and  to-day  they  attract  the  attention  of  the  traveler  almost  every- 
where. Whenever  I  am  traveling  over  the  country  and  see  one 
of  these  trade-marks,  I  feel  pretty  certain  that  I  was  the  cause 
of  the  death  of  the  old  fellow  whose  body  it  once  ornamented, 
and  many  a  wild  and  exciting  hunt  is  thus  called  to  mind. 

The  end  of  the  track  finally  reached  Sheridan,  in  the  month  of 
May,  1868,  and  as  the  road  was  not  to  be  built  any  farther  just 

•  Poor  Billy  Comstock  was  afterwards  treacherously  murdered  by  the  In- 
dians. He  and  Sharpe  Grover  visited  a  Tillage  of  Indians,  supposed  to  be 
peaceably  Inclined,  near  Big  Spring  station,  In  Western  Kansas;  and  after 
spending  several  hours  with  the  red-skins  in  friendly  conversation,  they  prepared 
to  depart,  having  declined  an  Invitation  to  pass  the  night  there.  It  appears  that 
Comstock's  beautiful  white-handled  revolver  had  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
Indians,  who  overtook  him  and  his  companion  when  they  had  gone  about  half  a 
mile.  After  surrounding  the  two  men  they  suddenly  attacked  them.  They 
killed,  scalped  and  robbed  Comstock;  but  Grover,  although  severely  wounded, 
made  his  escape,  owing  to  the  fleetness  of  the  excellent  horse  which  he  was 
riding.    This  sad  event  occurred  August  27. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  127 

then,  my  services  as  a  hunter  were  not  any  longer  required.  At 
this  time  there  was  a  general  Indian  war  raging  all  along  the 
Western  borders.  General  Sheridan  had  taken  up  his  headquar- 
ters at  Fort  Hays,  in  order  to  be  in  the  field  to  superintend  the 
campaign  in  person.  As  scouts  and  guides  were  in  great  demand, 
I  concluded  once  more  to  take  up  my  Oid  avocation  of  scouting 
and  guiding  for  the  army. 

BRIGHAM  AND  I  PART  COMPANY. 

Having  no  suitable  place  in  which  to  leave  my  old  and  faithful 
buffalo-hunter  Brigham,  and  not  wishing  to  kill  him  by  scouting, 
I  determined  to  dispose  of  himc  I  was  very  reluctant  to  part  w^th 
him,  but  I  consoled  myself  with  the  thought  that  he  would  not 
be  likely  to  receive  harder  usage  in  other  hands  than  he  had  in 
mine.  I  had  several  good  offers  to  sell  him ;  but  at  the  sugges- 
tion of  some  gentlemen  in  Sheridan,  all  of  whom  were  anxious  to 
obtain  possession  of  the  horse,  I  put  him  up  at  a  raffle,  in  order 
to  give  them  all  an  equal  chance  of  becoming  the  owner  of  the 
famous  steed.  There  were  ten  chances  at  thirty  dcliars  each,  and 
they  were  all  quickly  taken. 

Old  Brigham  was  won  by  a  gentleman — Mr.  Ike  Bonham  — 
who  took  him  to  Wyandotte,  Kansas,  where  he  soon  added  new 
laurels  to  his  already  brilliant  record.  Although  I  am  getting 
ahead  of  my  story,  I  must  now  follow  Brigham  for  a  while.  A 
grand  tournament  came  off  four  miles  from  Wyandotte,  and 
Brigham  took  part  m  it.  As  has  already  been  stated,  his  ap- 
pearance was  not  very  prepossessing,  and  nobody  suspected  him 
of  being  anything  but  the  most  ordinary  kind  of  a  plug.  The 
friends  of  the  rider  Liuorhed  at  him  for  beinoj  mounted  on  such  a 
dizzy-looking  steed .  When  the  exercises  —  which  were  of  a  very 
tame  character,  being  more  for  style  than  speed  —  were  over,  and 
just  as  the  crowd  was  about  to  return  to  the  city,  a  purse  of 
$250  was  made  up,  to  be  given  to  the  horse  that  could  first  reach 
Wyandotte,  four  miles  distant.  The  arrangement  was  carried 
out,  and  Brigham  was  entered  as  one  of  the  contestants  for  the 
purse.     Everybody  laughed  at  Mr.  Bonham  when   it  became 

8S 


128  STORY   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

known  that  he  was  to  ride  that  poky-looking  plug  against  the  five 
thoroughbreds  which  were  to  take  part  in  the  race. 

When  all  the  preliminaries  had  been  arranged,  the  signal  was 
given,  and  off  went  the  horses  for  Wyandotte.  For  the  first  half- 
mile  several  of  the  horses  led  Brigham,  but  on  the  second  mile 
he  began  passing  them  one  after  another,  and  on  the  third  mile 
he  was  in  advance  of  them  all,  and  was  showing  them  the  road 
at  a  lively  rate.  On  the  fourth  mile  his  rider  let  him  out,  and 
arrived  at  the  hotel  —  the  home-station  —  in  Wyandotte  a  long 
way  ahead  of  his  fastest  competitor. 

Everybody  was  surprised  as  well  as  disgusted,  that  such  a 
homely  **  critter  "  should  be  the  winner.  Brigham,  of  course, 
had  already  acquired  a  wide  reputation,  and  his  name  and  exploits 
had  often  appeared  in  the  newspapers,  and  when  it  was  learned 
that  this  *' critter"  was  none  other  than  the  identical  buffalo- 
hunting  Brigham,  nearly  the  whole  crowd  admitted  that  they  had 
heard  of  him  before,  and  had  they  known  him  in  the  first  place 
they  certainly  would  have  ruled  him  out. 

But  to  return  to  the  thread  of  my  narrative,  from  which  I  have 
wandered.  Having  received  the  appointment  of  guide  and  scout, 
and  having  been  ordered  to  report  at  Fort  Larned,  then  com- 
manded by  Captain  Dangerfield  Parker,  I  saw  it  was  necessary 
to  take  my  family  —  who  had  remained  with  me  at  Sheridan 
after  the  buffalo-hunting  match  —  to  Leavenworth  and  there 
leave  them.  This  I  did  at  once,  and  after  providing  them  with 
a  comfortable  little  home  I  returned  and  reported  for  duty  at 
Fort  Larne<3. 


A  GREAT  SHOWMAN 

Colonel  Cody  was  not  only  famous  as  a  scout,  hunter,  and 
Indian  fighter,  but  had  an  international  reputation  as  a  show- 
man and  evidenced  great  genius  in  organizing  and  managing 
the  "Wild  West  Exhibition/' 


"A  THIRSTY  COMRADE" 

Buffalo  Bill's  thoughtful  attention  in  giving  his  horse  a 
drink  from  his  own  hat  was  thoroughly  characteristic  of  the  man 
in  all  his  relations  with  animals,  as  well  as  with  people. 


BUCKSKIN    CHAKLIE. 


WAR-CHIEF  OF  THE  UTES. 


AMERICAN    horse;    SIOUX    CHIEF. 
CTourte^  of  Smithsonian  Institution. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL. 


129 


CHAPTER      X. 


ACTING  AS   SPECIAL  SCOUT, 


EARLY  all  the  scouts  operating  in 
Western  Kansas,  at  the  time  of 
which  I  write,  made  their  princi- 
pal headquarters  at  Fort  Larned, 
and  were  commanded  by  Dick 
Curtis,  an  old  guide,  frontiersman 
and  Indian  interpreter.  When  I 
first  visited  the  place  in  the  line 
of  duty  there  were  some  three 
hundred  lodges  of  Kiowas  and  Comanche  Indians 
camped  near  the  fort.  These  Indians  had  not  as  yet 
f^  gone  upon  the  war-path,  but  were  restless  and  dis- 
///  contented,  and  their  leading  chiefs,  Satanta,  Lone 
Wolf,  Kicking  Bird,  Satank,  Sittamore,  and  other  noted  war- 
riors, were  rather  saucy.  The  post  at  the  time  was  garrisoned 
by  only  two  companies  of  infantry  and  one  of  cavalry. 

General  Hazen,  who  was  at  the  post,  was  endeavoring  to  pacify 
the  Indians  and  keep  them  from  going  on  the  war-path.  I  was 
appointed  as  his  special  scout,  and  one  morning  he  notified  me 
that  he  was  going  to  Fort  Harker  and  wished  me  to  accompany 
him  as  far  Fort  Zarah,  thirty  miles  distant.  The  General  usu- 
ally traveled  in  an  ambulance,  but  this  trip  he  was  to  make 
in  a  six-mule  wagon,  under  the  escort  of  a  squad  of  twenty 
infantry-men. 

So,  early  one  morning  in  August,  we  started,  arriving  safely 
at  Fort  Zarah  at  twelve  o'clock.  General  Hazen  thought  it 
unnecessary  that  we  should  go  father,  and  he  proceeded  on 
his  way  to  Fort  Harker  without  an  escort,  leaving  instructions 
+H{?t  we  should  '^'^turn  to  F'^^^  ^arned  the  p«vt  day. 


.130  STORY   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

After  the  General  had  gone  I  went  to  the  sergeant  m  command 
of  the  squad  and  told  him  that  I  was  going  back  that  very  aft- 
ernoon instead  of  waiting  until  the  next  morning ;  and  1  accord- 
ingly saddled  up  my  mule  and  set  out  for  Fort  Larned.  I  pro- 
ceeded uninterruptedly  until  I  got  about  half-way  between  the 
two  posts,  when  at  Pawnee  Eock  I  was  suddenly  "  jumped  "  by 
about  forty  Indians,  who  came  dashing  up  to  me,  extending  their 
hands  and  saying,  **  How  I  How  !'*  They  were  some  of  the  In- 
dians who  had  been  hanging  around  Fort  Larned  in  the  morning. 
I  saw  they  had  on  their  war  paint,  and  were  evidently  now  out 
on  the  war-path. 

CAPTURED  BY  INDIANS. 

My  first  impulse  was  to  shake  hands  with  them,  as  they  seemed 
so  desirous  of  it.  I  accordingly  reached  out  my  hand  to  one  of 
them,  who  grasped  it  with  a  tight  grip,  and  jerked  me  violently 
forward ;  another  pulled  my  mule  by  the  bridle,  and  in  a  mo- 
ment I  was  completly  surrounded.  Before  I  could  do  anything 
at  all,  they  had  seized  my  revolvers  from  the  holsters,  and  I  re- 
ceived a  blow  on  the  head  from  a  tomahawk  which  nearly  ren- 
dered me  senseless.  My  gun,  which  was  lying.across  the  saddle, 
was  snatched  from  its  place,  and  finally  the  Indian  who  had  hold 
of  the  bridle  started  off  towards  the  Arkansas  river,  leading  the 
mule,  which  was  being  lashed  by  the  other  Indians  who  were  fol- 
lowing. The  savages  were  all  singing,  yelling  and  whooping,  as 
only  Indians  can  do,  when  they  are  having  their  little  game  all 
their  own  way.  While  looking  towards  the  river  I  saw,  on  the 
opposite  side,  an  immense  village  moving  down  along  the  bank, 
and  then  I  became  convinced  that  the  Indians  had  left  the  post 
and  were  now  starting  cut  on  the  war-path.  My  captors  crossed 
the  stream  with  me,  and  as  we  waded  through  the  shallow  water 
they  continued  to  lash  the  mule  and  myself.  Finally  they 
brought  me  before  an  important  looking  body  of  Indians,  who 
proved  to  be  chiefs  and  principal  warriors.  I  soon  recognized 
old  Satanta  among  them,  as  well  as  others  whom  I  knew  and  1 
supposed  it  was  all  over  with  me. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL. 


131 


The  Indians  were  jabbering  away  so  rapidly  among  themselves 
that  I  could  not  understand  what  they  were  saying.  Satanta  at 
last  asked  me  where  I  had  been ;  and  as  good  luck  would  have 
it,  a  happy  thought  struck  me :  I  told  him  I  had  been  after  a  herd 
Cx  cattle  or  *'  whoa-haws,"  as  they  called  them.  It  so  happened 
that  the  Indians  had  been  out  of  meat  for  several  weeks,  as  the 
large  herd  of  cattle  which  had  been  promised  them  had  not  yet 
arrived,  although  expected  by  them. 

A  CLEVER  RUSE  SECURES  MY  ESCAPE. 

The  moment  I  mentioned  that  I  had  been  searching  for  the 
*'  whoa-haws,"   old   Santa  began  questioning  me  in  a  very  eager 


CAPTURED   BY   THE    INDIANS. 

manner.  He  asked  me  where  the  cattle  were,  and  I  replied  that 
they  were  back  only  a  few  miles,  and  that  I  had  been  sent  by 
General  Hazen  to  inform  him  that  the  cattle  were  coming,  and 
that  they  were  intended  for  his  people.  This  seemed  to  please 
the  old  rascal,  who  also  wanted  to  know  if  there  were  any  sol- 
diers with  the  herd,  and  my  reply  was  that  there  were.  There- 
upon the  chiefs  held  a  consultation,  and  presently  Satanta  asked 


132  STORY  OF  THE  WILD  WEST. 

me  if  General  Hazen  had  really  said  that  they  should  have  the 
cattle.  I  replied  in  the  affirmative,  and  added  that  I  had  been 
directed  to  bring  the  cattle  to  them .  I  followed  this  up  with  a  very 
dignified  inquiry,  asking  why  his  young  men  had  treated  me  so. 
The  old  wretch  intimated  that  it  was  only  * '  a  freak  of  the  boys ; ' ' 
that  the  young  men  wanted  to  see  if  I  was  brave;  in  fact,  they 
had  only  meant  to  test  my  bravery,  and  that  the  whole  thing  was 
a  joke. 

The  veteran  liar  was  now  beating  me  at  my  own  game  of 
lying;  but  I  was  very  glad  of  it,  as  it  was  in  my  favor.  I  did 
not  let  him  suspect  that  I  doubted  his  veracity,  but  I  remarked 
that  it  was  a  rough  way  to  treat  friends.  He  immediately  or- 
dered his  young  men  to  give  me  back  my  arms  and  scolded  them 
for  what  they  had  done.  Of  course,  the  sly  old  dog  was  now 
playing  it  very  fine,  as  he  was  anxious  to  get  possession  of  the 
cattle,  with  which  he  believed  ''  there  was  a  heap  of  soldiers 
comino:."  He  had  concluded  it  was  not  best  tofiorht  the  soldiers 
if  he  could  get  the  cattle  peaceably. 

Another  council  was  held  by  the  chiefs  and  in  a  few  minutes 
old  Satanta  came  and  asked  me  if  I  would  go  over  and  bring  the 
cattle  down  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  so  that  they  could 
get  them.  I  replied:  **0f  course;  that's  my  instruction  from 
General  Hazen." 

Satanta  said  I  must  not  feel  angry  at  his  young  men,  for  they 
had  only  been  acting  in  fun.  He  tiien  inquired  if  I  wished  any 
of  his  men  to  accompany  me  to  the  cattle  herd.  I  replied  that 
it  would  be  better  for  me  to  go  alone,  and  then  the  soldiers  could 
keep  right  on  to  Fort  Larned,  while  I  could  drive  the  herd  down 
on  the  bottom.  So,  wheeling  my  mule  around,  I  was  soon  re- 
crossing  the  river,  leaving  old  Satanta  in  the  firm  belief  that  I 
had  told  him  a  straight  story  and  was  going  for  the  cattle  which 
only  existed  in  my  imagmation. 

1  hard^  knew  what  to  do,  but  thought  that  if  I  could  get  the 
river  between  the  Indians  and  myself  I  would  have  a  good  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  the  start  of  them,  and  could  then  make  a  run 
for  Fort  Larned,  as  my  mule  was  a  good  one. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  133 

STRETCHING   MY  MULE. 

Thus  far  my  cattle  story  had  panned  out  all  right ;  but  just  as 
I  reached  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river  I  looked  behind  and  saw 
that  ten  or  fifteen  Indians  who  h^id  begun  to  suspect  something 
crooked  were  following  me.  The  moment  that  my  mule  secured 
a  good  foothold  on  the  bank  I  urged  him  into  a  gentle  lope 
towards  the  place  where,  according  to  my  statement,  the  cattle 
were  to  be  brought.  Upon  reaching  a  little  ridge  and  riding  down 
the  other  side  out  of  view,  I  turned  my  mule  and  headed  him 
westward  for  Fort  Larned.  I  let  him  out  for  all  that  he  was 
worth,  and  when  I  came  out  on  a  little  rise  of  ground  I  looked 
back  and  saw  the  Indian  village  in  plain  sight.  My  pursuers 
were  now  on  the  ridge  which  I  had  passed  over  and  were  looking 
for  me  in  every  direction. 

Presently  they  spied  me,  and  seeing  that  I  was  running  away 
they  struck  out  in  swift  pursuit,  and  in  a  few  minutes  it  became 
painfully  evident  that  they  were  gaining  on  me.  They  kept  up 
the  chase  as  far  as  Ash  creek,  six  miles  from  Fort  Larned.  I 
still  led  them  half  a  mile,  as  their  horses  had  not  gained  much 
during  the  last  half  of  the  race.  My  mule  seemed  to  have  gotten 
his  second  wind,  and  as  I  was  on  the  old  road  I  played  the  whip 
and  spurs  on  him  without  much  cessation.  The  Indians  like- 
wise urged  their  steeds  to  the  utmost. 

Finally,  upon  reaching  the  dividing  ridge  between  Ash  creek 
and  Pawnee  fork,  I  saw  Fort  Larned  only  four  miles  away.  It 
was  now  sundown  and  I  heard  the  evening  gun  at  the  fort.  The 
troops  of  the  little  garrison  little  dreamed  that  there  was  a  man 
flying  for  his  life  from  the  Indians  ^and  trying  to  reach  the  post. 
The  Indians  were  once  more  gaining  on  me,  and  when  I  crossed 
the  Pawnee  fork,  two  miles  from  the  post,  two  or  three  of  them 
were  only  a  quarter  of  a  mile  behind  me.  Just  as  I  had  gained 
the  opposite  bank  of  the  stream  I  was  overjoyed  to  see  some 
soldiers  in  a  government  wagon  only  a  short  distance  off.  I 
yelled  at  the  top  of  my  voice  and,  riding  up  to  them,  told  them 
that  the  Indians  were  after  me. 


134 


STORT  OF  THE  WILD  WEST. 


AMBUSHING  THE  PURSUERS. 

Denver  Jim,  a  well  known  scout,  asked  how  many  there  were, 
and  upon  my  informing  him  that  there  were  about  a  dozen,  he  said : 
"Let's  drive  the  wagon  into  the  trees,  and  we'll  lay  for 'em.'* 
The  team  was  hurriedly  driven  in  among  the  trees  and  low  box- 
elder  bushes,  and  there  secreted. 

We  did  not  have  to  wait  long  for  the  Indians,  who  came  dash- 
ing up,  lashing  their  horses,  which  were  panting  and  blowing. 

We  let  two 
of  them 
pass  by,  but 
we  opened  a 
lively  fire 
on  the  next 
three  or 
four,  killing 
two  at  the 
first  crack. 
The  others 
following, 
discovered 
that  they 
had  run  into 
an  ambush, 
and  whirl- 
ing off  into 
the  brush 

A  RATTLING   SURPRISE    FOR    MY   PURSUERS.  theV  tumcd 

and  ran  back  in  the  direction  whence  they  had  come.  The  two 
who  had  passed  heard  the  firing  and  made  their  escape.  We 
scalped  the  two  that  we  had  killed,  and  appropriated  their  arms 
and  equipments;  and  then  catching  their  horses,  we  made  our 
way  into  the  post.  The  soldiers  had  heard  us  firing,  and  as  we 
were  approaching  the  fort  the  drums  were  being  beaten,  and  the 
buglers  were  sounding  the  call  to  full  in.     The  officers  thought 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO   BILL.  135 

that  Satanta  and  his  Indians  were  coming  in  to  capture  the 
fort. 

It  seems  that  on  the  morning  of  that  day,  two  hours  after 
General  Hazen  had  taken  his  departure,  old  Satanta  drove  into 
the  post  in  an  ambulance,  which  he  had  received  some  months 
before  as  a  present  from  the  government.  He  appeared  to  be 
angry  and  bent  on  mischief.  In  an  interview  with  Captain  Par- 
ker, the  commanding  officer,  he  asked  why  General  Hazen  had 
left  the  post  without  supplying  the  beef  cattle  which  he  had 
promised  him.  The  Captain  told  him  that  the  cattle  were  surely 
on  the  road,  but  he  could  not  explain  why  they  were  detained. 

The  interview  proved  to  be  a  stormy  one,  and  Satanta  made 
numerous  threats,  saying  that  if  he  wished,  he  could  capture  the 
whole  post  with  his  warriors.  Captain  Parker,  who  was  a  brave 
man,  gave  Satanta  to  understand  that  he  was  reckoning  beyond 
his  powers,  and  would  find  it  a  more  difficult  undertaking  than  he 
had  any  idea  of,  as  they  were  prepared  for  him  at  any  moment. 
The  interview  finally  terminated,  and  Satanta  angrily  left  the 
officer's  presence.  Going  over  to  the  sutler's  store,  he  sold  his  am- 
bulance to  Mr.  Tappan  the  post-trader,  and  with  a  portion  of  the 
proceeds  he  secretly  managed  to  secure  some  whisky  from  some 
bad  men  around  the  fort.  There  are  always  to  be  found  about 
every  frontier  post  some  men  who  will  sell  whisky  to  the  Indians 
at  any  time  and  under  any  circumstances,  notwithstanding  it  is  a 
flagrant  violation  of  both  civil  and  military  regulations. 

Satanta  mounted  his  horse,  and  taking  the  whisky  with  him 
he  rode  rapidly  away  and  proceeded  straight  to  his  village.  He 
had  not  been  gone  over  an  hour,  when  he  returned  to  the  vicinity 
of  the  post  accompanied  by  his  warriors  who  came  in  from  every 
direction,  to  the  number  of  seven  or  eight  hundred.  It  was  evi- 
dent that  the  irate  old  rascal  was  **  on  his  ear,"  so  to  speak,  and 
it  looked  as  if  he  intended  to  carry  out  his  threat  of  capturing 
the  fort.  The  garrison  at  once  turned  out  and  prepared  to  re- 
ceive the  red-skins,  who,  when  within  half  a  mile,  circled  around 
the  fort  and  fired  nv serous  shots  into  it,  instead  of  trying  to 
take  it  by  assault. 


136  STORY   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

GOING  ON  THE  WAR-PATH. 

While  this  circular  movement  was  going  on,  it  was  observed  that 
the  Indian  viUage  in  the  distance  was  packing  up,  preparatory  to 
leaving,  and  it  was  soon  under  way.  The  mounted  warriors  re- 
mained behind  some  little  time,  to  give  their  families  an  opportu- 
nity to  get  away,  as  they  feared  that  the  troops  might  possibly  in 
some  manner  intercept  them.  Finally,  they  encircled  the  post 
several  times,  fired  some  farewell  rounds,  and  then  galloped  away 
over  the  prairie  to  overtake  their  fast  departing  village.  On 
their  way  thither,  they  surprised  and  killed  a  party  of  wood- 
choppers  down  on  the  Pawnee  fork,  as  well  as  some  herders  who 
were  guarding  beef  cattle ;  some  seven  or  eight  men  in  all  were 
killed,  and  it  was  evident  that  the  Indians  meant  business. 

The  soldiers  with  the  wagon  —  whom  I  had  met  at  the  crossing 
of  the  Pawnee  fork  —  had  been  out  for  the  bodies  of  the  men. 
Under  the  circumstances  it  was  no  wonder  that  the  garrison, 
upon  hearing  the  reports  of  our  guns  when  we  fired  upon  the 
party  whom  we  ambushed,  should  have  thought  the  Indians  were 
coming  back  to  give  them  another  '*  turn.'^ 

We  found  that  all  was  excitement  at  the  post;  double  guards 
had  been  put  on  duty,  and  Captain  Parker  had  all  the  scouts  at 
his  headquarters.  He  was  endeavoring  to  get  some  one  to  take 
some  important  dispatches  to  General  Sheridan  at  Fort  Hays. 
I  reported  to  him  at  once,  and  stated  where  I  met  the  Indians 
and  how  I  had  escaped  from  them. 

*'You  were  very  fortunate,  Cody,  in  thinking  of  that  cattle 
story ;  but  for  that  little  game  your  hair  would  now  be  an  orna- 
ment toaKiowa's  lodge,"  said  he. 

Just  then  Dick  Curtis  spoke  up  and  said:  **  Cody,  the  Captain 
is  anxious  to  send  some  dispatches  to  General  Sheridan,  at  Fort 
Hays,  and  none  of  the  scouts  here  seem  to  be  very  willing  to  un- 
dertake the  trip.  They  say  they  are  not  well  enough  acquainted 
with  the  country  to  find  the  way  at  night." 

A   TERRIBLE   DUTY. 

As  a  storm  was  coming  up  it  was  quite  dark,  and  the  scouts 
feared  that  they  would  lose  the  way ;  besides,  it  was  a  dangerous 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BULLALO  BILL.  137 

ride,  as  a  large  party  of  Indians  were  known  to  be  camped  on 
Walnut  creek,  on  the  direct  road  to  Fort  Hays.  It  was  evident 
that  Curtis  was  trying  to  induce  me  to  volunteer,  so  I  made  some 
evasive  answer  to  him  for  I  did  not  care  to  volunteer  after 
my  long  day's  ride.  But  Curtis  did  not  let  the  matter  drop. 
Said  he :  — 

**  I  wish,  Bill,  that  you  were  not  so  tired  by  your  chase  of  to- 
day, for  you  know  the  country  better  than  the  rest  of  the  boys, 
and  I  am  certain  that  you  could  go  through." 

*<  As  far  as  the  ride  to  Fort  Hays  is  concerned,  that  alone 
would  matter  but  little  to  me,"  I  said,  **  but  it  is  a  risky  piece  of 
work  just  now,  as  the  country  is  full  of  hostile  Indians ;  still,  if  no 
other  scout  is  willing  to  volunteer,  I  will  chance  it.  I'll  go,  pro- 
vided I  am  furnished  with  a  good  horse.  I  am  tired  of  being 
chased  on  a  government  mule  by  Indians."  At  this  Captain 
Nolan,  who  had  been  listening  to  our  conversation,  said:  — 

**  Bill,  you  may  have  the  best  horse  in  my  company.  You 
can  take  your  choice  if  you  will  carry  these  dispatches.  Although 
it  is  against  regulations  to  dismount  an  enlisted  man,  I  have  no 
hesitancy  in  such  a  case  of  urgent  necessity  as  this  is,  in  telling 
you  that  you  may  have  any  horse  you  may  wish." 

**  Captain,  your  first  sergeant  has  a  splendid  horse,  and  that's 
the  one  I  want.  If  he'll  let  me  ride  that  horse,  I'll  be  ready  to 
start  in  one  hour,  storm  or  no  storm,"  said  I. 

<'  Good  enough,  Bill;  you  shall  have  the  horse;  but  are  you 
sure  you  can  find  your  way  on  such  a  dark  night  as  this  ? ' ' 

'*  I  have  hunted  on  nearly  every  acre  of  ground  between  here 
and  Fort  Hays,  and  I  can  almost  keep  my  route  by  the  bones  of 
the  dead  buffaloes,"  I  confidently  replied, 

**  Never  fear.  Captain,  about  Cody  not  finding  the  way;  he  is 
as  good  in  the  dark  as  he  is  in  the  daylight,"  said  Curtis. 

OFF   IN  THE   DARK. 

An  orderly  was  sent  for  the  horse,  and  the  animal  was  soon 
brought  up,  although  the  sergeant  '«  kicked  "  a  little  against  let- 
titior  hii«  oro.     After  eating  a  lunch  and  filling  a  canteen  with 


138 


STORY   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 


brandy,  I  went  to  headquarters  and  put  my  own  saddle  and 
bridle  on  the  horse  I  was  to  ride.  I  then  got  the  dispatches,  and 
by  ten  o'clock  was  on  the  road  to  Fort  Hays,  which  was  sixty-five 
miles  distant  across  the  country. 

It  was  dark  as  pitch,  but  this  I  rather  liked,  as  there  was  little 
probability  of  any  of  the  red-skins  seeing  me  unless  I  stumbled 
upon  them  accidentally.  My  greatest  danger  was  that  my  horse 
might  run  into  a  hole  and  fall  down,  and  in  this  way  get  away 

'  from  me.  To  avoid  any  such 
accident,!  tied  one  end  of  my  raw- 
hide lariat  to  the  bridle  and  the 
other  end  to  my  belt.  I  didn't 
propose  to  be  left  on  foot  alone 
but  on  the  prairie. 

It  was,  indeed,  a  wise  precaution 
that  I  had  taken,  for  within  the 
next  three  miles  the  horse,  sure 
enough,  stepped  into  a  prairie- 
dog's  hole,  and  down  he  went, 
throwing  me  clear  over  his  head. 
Springing  to  his  feet,  before  I 
could  catch  hold  of  the  bridle,  he 
galloped  away  into  the  darkness  ; 
I  but  when  he  reached  the  full  length 
of  the  lariat,  he  found  that  he  was 
not  so  loose  as  he  believed.  I 
INDIAN  BURIAL  PLACE.  brought   him    up    standing,  and 

after  finding  my  gun,  which  had  dropped  to  the  ground,  I  went 
up  to  him  and  in  a  moment  was  in  the  saddle  again,  and  went  on 
my  way  rejoicing,  keeping  straight  on  my  course  until  I  came  to 
the  ravines  leading  into  Walnut  creek,  twenty-five  miles  from 
Fort  Larned,  where  the  country  became  rougher,  requiring  me 
to  travel  slower  and  more  carefully,  as  I  feared  the  horse  might 
fall  over  the  bank,  it  being  difficult  to  see  anything  five  feet  ahead. 
As  a  good  horse  is  not  very  apt  to  jump  over  a  bank,  if  left  to 
guide  himself,  I  let  mine  pick  his  own  way.     I  was  now  proceed- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  139 

ing  as  quietly  as  possible,  for  I  was  in  the  vicinity  of  a  band  of 
Indians  who  had  recently  camped  in  that  locality.  I  thought  that 
I  had  passed  somewhat  above  the  spot,  having  made  a  little  circuit 
to  the  west  with  that  intention ;  but  as  bad  luck  would  have  it  this 
time,  when  I  came  up  near  the  creek  I  suddenly  rode  in  among  a 
herd  of  horses.  The  animals  became  frightened  and  ran  off  in 
every  direction. 

STUMBLING    ONTO   A    HORNETS'    NEST. 

I  knew  at  once  that  I  was  among  Indian  horses,  and  had  walked 
into  the  wrong  pew;  so  without  waiting  to  apologize,  I  backed 
out  as  quickly  as  possible.  At  this  moment  a  dog,  not  fifty  yards 
away,  set  up  a  howl,  and  then  I  heard  some  Indians  engaged  in 
conversation; — they  were  guarding  the  horses,  and  had  been 
sleeping.  Hearing  my  horse's  retreating  footsteps  towards  the 
hills,  and  thus  becoming  aware  that  there  had  been  an  enemy  in 
their  camp,  they  mounted  their  steeds  and  started  for  me 

I  urged  my  horse  to  his  full  speed,  taking  the  chances  of  his 
falling  into  holes,  and  guided  him  up  the  creek  bottom.  The 
Indians  followed  me  as  fast  as  they  could  by  the  noise  I  made, 
but  I  soon  distanced  them,  and  then  crossed  the  creek. 

When  I  had  traveled  several  miles  in  a  straight  course,  as  I 
supposed,  I  took  out  my  compass  and  by  the  light  of  a  match  saw 
that  I  was  bearing  two  points  to  the  east  of  north.  At  once 
changing  my  course  to  the  direct  route,  I  pushed  rapidly  on 
through  the  darkness  towards  Smoky  Hill  river.  At  about  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning  I  began  traveling  more  cautiously,  as  I 
was  afraid  of  running  into  another  band  of  Indians.  Occasionally 
I  scared  up  a  herd  of  buffaloes,  or  antelopes,  or  coyotes,  or  deer, 
which  would  frighten  my  horse  for  a  moment,  but  with  the  ex- 
ception of  these  slight  alarms  I  got  along  all  right. 

After  crossing  Smoky  Hill  river,  I  felt  comparatively  lafe  as 
this  was  the  last  stream  I  had  to  pass.  Hiding  on  to  the  north- 
ward I  struck  the  old  Santa  Fe  trail,  ten  miles  from  Fort  Hays, 
just  at  break  of  day. 

My  horse  did  not  seem  much  fatigued,  and  being  anxious  to 


140  STORY   OF  THE  WILD   WEST. 

make  good  time  and  get  as  near  the  post  as  possible  before  it  was 
fairly  daylight,  as  there  might  be  bands  of  Indians  camped  along 
Big  creek,  I  urged  him  forward  as  fast  as  he  could  go.  As  I 
had  not  **lost*'  any  Indians,  I  was  not  now  anxious  to  make 
their  acquaintance,  and  shortly  after  reveille  vode  into  the  post. 
1  proceeded  directly  to  General  Sheridan's  headquarters,  and 
was  met  at  the  door  by  Colonel  Moore,  aid-de-camp  on  General 
Sheridan's  staff,  who  asked  me  on  what  business  I  had  come. 

**  I  have  dispatches  for  General  Sheridan,  and  my  instructions 
from  Captain  Parker,  commanding  Fort  Larned,  are  that  they 
shall  be  delivered  to  the  General  as  soon  as  possible,"  said  I. 

Colonel  Moore  invited  me  into  one  of  the  offices,  and  said  he 
would  hand  the  dispatches  to  the  General  as  soon  as  he  got  up. 

**  I  prefer  to  give  these  dispatches  to  General  Sheridan  myself, 
and  at  once,'*  was  my  reply. 

The  General,  who  was  sleeping  in  the  same  building,  hearing 
our  voices,  called  out,  **  Send  the  man  in  with  the  dispatches." 
I  was  ushered  into  the  General's  presence,  and  as  we  had  met 
before  he  recognized  me  and  said :    *'  Hello,  Cody,  is  that  you?" 

**  Yes,  sir;  I  have  some  dispatches  here  for  you,  from  Captain 
Parker,"  said  T,  as  I  handed  the  pnckage  over  to  him. 

He  hurriedly  read  them,  and  said  they  were  important;  and 
then  he  asked  me  all  about  General  Hazen  and  where  he  had  gone, 
and  about  the  breaking  out  of  the  Kiowas  and  Comanches.  1 
gave  him  all  the  information  that  I  possessed,  and  related  the 
events  and  adventures  of  the  previous  day  and  night. 

AN  INTERVIEW  WITH  SHERIDAN. 

**Bill,"  said  he,  **you  must  have  had  a  pretty  lively  ride. 
You  certainly  had  a  close  call  when  you  ran  into  the  Indians  on 
Walnut  creek.  That  was  a  good  joke  that  you  played  on  old 
Satanta.    I  suppose  you're  pretty  tired  after  your  long  journey  ?'^ 

*'  I  am  rather  weary,  General,  that's  a  fact,  as  I  have  been  in 
the  saddle  since  yesterday  morning;"  was  my  reply,  **  but  my 
horse  U  more  tired  thdn  I  am,  and  needs  attention  fully  as  much 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  BUFFALO   BILL. 


141 


if  not  mr^re,"  I  added.  Thereupon  the  General  called  an  orderly 
and  gave  Instructions  to  have  my  animal  well  taken  care  of,  and 
then  he  said,  **  Cody,  come  in  and  have  some  breakfast  with  me." 

*'  No,  thank  you,  General,'*  said  I,  **  Hays  City  is  only  a  mile 
from  here,  and  I  prefer  riding  over  there,  as  I  know  about  every 
one  in  the  town,  and  want  to  see  some  of  my  friends." 

*«  Very  well;  do  as  you  please,  and  come  to  the  post  after- 
wards as  I  want  to  see  you,"  said  he. 

Bidding  him  good-mcrning, 
and  telling  him  that  I  would  re- 
turn in  a  few  hours,  J  rode  over 
to  Hays  City,  and  at  the  Perry 
House  I  met  many  of  my  old 
friends  who  were  of  course  all 
glad  to  see  me.  I  took  some  re- 
freshments and  a  two  Lours'  nap, 
and  afterward  returned  to  Fort 
Hays,  as  I  was  requested. 

As  I  rode  up  to  the  headquart- 
ers I  noticed  several  scouts  in  a 
little  group,  evidently  engaged  in 
conversation  on  some  important 
matter.  Upon  inquirj^  I  learned 
that  General  Sheridan  had  in- 
formed them  that  he  was  desirous 
of  sending  a  dispatch  to  Fort 
Dodge,  a  distance  of  ninety-five 
miles. 

The  Indians  had  recently  killed  two  or  three  men  while  they 
were  carrying  dispatches  between  Fort  Hays  and  Fort  Dodge, 
and  on  this  account  none  of  the  scouts  seemed  at  all  anxious  to 
volunteer,  although  a  reward  of  several  hundred  dollars  was 
offered  to  any  one  who  would  carry  the  dispatches.  They  had 
learned  of  my  experiences  of  the  previous  day,  and  asked  me  if 
I  did  net  think  it  would  be  a  dangerous  trip.  I  gave  it  as  my 
opinion  that  a  man  might  possibly  go  through  without  seeing  an 


AN  EARLY   CALL   ON   SHERIDAN. 


142  STORY   OF  THE  WILD  WEST. 

Indian,  but  that  the  chances  were  ten  to  one  that  he  would  have 
an  exceedingly  lively  run  and  a  hard  time  before  he  reached  hi8 
destination,  if  he  ever  got  there  at  all. 

A   LONG  RIDE. 

Leaving  the  scouts  to  decide  among  themselves  as  to  who  was 
to  go,  I  reported  to  General  Sheridan,  who  also  informed  me 
that  he  wished  some  one  to  carry  dispatches  to  Fort  Bodge. 
While  we  were  talking,  his  chief  of  scouts,  Dick  Parr,  entered 
and  stated  that  none  of  the  scouts  had  yet  volunteered.  Upon 
hearing  this  I  got  my  "  brave  "  up  a  little,  and  said:  '*  General, 
if  there  is  no  one  ready  to  volunteer,  I'll  carry  your  dispatches 
myself." 

"  I  had  not  thought  of  asking  you  to  do  this  duty,  Cody,  as 
you  are  already  pretty  hard  worked.  But  it  is  really  important 
that  these  dispatches  should  go  through,"  said  the  General. 

*«  Well,  if  you  don't  get  a  courier  by  four  o'clock  this  after- 
noon, I'll  be  ready  for  business  at  that  time.  All  I  want  is  a 
fresh  horse,"  said  I;  ''meantime  I'll  take  a  little  more  rest." 

It  was  not  much  of  a  rest,  however,  that  I  got,  for  I  vv  ent 
over  to  Hays  City  again  and  had  *'  a  time  with  the  boys."  I 
came  back  to  the  post  at  the  appointed  hour,  and  finding  that 
no  one  had  volunteered,  I  reported  to  General  Sheridan.  He 
had  selected  an  excellent  horse  for  me,  and  on  handing  me  the 
dispatches,  he  said:  **  You  can  start  as  soon  as  you  wish  —  the 
sooner  the  better;  and  good  luck  go  with  you,  my  boy." 

In  about  an  hour  afterwards  I  was  on  the  road,  and  just  before 
dark  I  crossed  Smoky  Hill  river.  I  had  not  yet  urged  my  horse 
much,  as  I  was  saving  his  strength  for  the  latter  end  of  the 
route,  and  for  any  run  that  I  might  have  to  make  in  case  the 
"  wild-boys  "  should  *'  jump  "  me.  So  far  I  had  not  seen  a  sign 
of  Indians,  and  as  evening  came  on  I  felt  comparatively  safe. 

I  had  no  adventures  worth  relating  during  the  night,  and  just 
before  daylight  I  found  myself  approaching  Saw-log  crossing, 
on  the  Pawnee  fork,  having  then  ridden  about  seventy  miles. 
A  company  of  colored  cavalry,   commanded  by  Major  Cox, 


ACTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   BUFFALO    BILL. 


143 


was  stationed  at  this  point,  and  I  approached  their  camp 
cautiously,  for  fear  that  the  pickets  might  fire  upon  me —  as  the 
darkey  soldiers  were  liable  to  shoot  first  and  cry  **halt"  after- 
wards. When  within  hearing  distance  I  yelled  out  at  the  top  of 
my  voice,  and  was  answered  by  one  of  the  pickets.  I  told  him 
not  to  shoot,  as  I  was  ai 


scout  from    Fort  Hays; 
and  then,  calling  the  ser- 
geant of  the  guard,  I  went 
up  to  the  vidette  of  the 
post,  who   readily  recog- 
nized me.     I  entered  the 
camp  and  proceeded  to  the 
tent    of    Major    Cox,   to 
whom  I  handed    a  letter 
from    General     Sheridan 
requesting  him  to  give  me 
a  fresh  horse .     He  at  once 
complied  with  the  request. 
After  I  had  slept  an  hour 
and  had  eaten  a  lunch,  IP 
again     jumped    into    the  | 
saddle,  and  before  sunrise 
I  was  once  more  on  the 
road.     It  was  twenty-five ' 
miles  to  Fort  Dodge,  andj 
I  arrived   there    between 
nine  and  ten  o'clock,  with-| 
out  having  seen  a  single 
Indian. 

After  delivering  the 
dispatches  to  the  com- 
manding officer,  I  met  Johnny  Austin,  chief  of  scouts  at  this  post, 
who  was  an  old  friend  of  mine.  Upon  his  invitation  I  took  a  nap 
at  his  house,  and  when  I  awoke,  fresh  for  business  once  more,  he 
informed  me  that  the  Indians  had  been  all  around  the  post  for  the 


READY  FOR   BUSINESS. 


M 


144  STORY  OF  THE  WILD  WEST. 

past  two  or  three  days,  running  off  cattle  and  horses,  and  occasion- 
ally  killing  a  stray  man.  It  was  a  wonder  to  him  that  I  had 
met  with  none  of  the  red-skins  on  the  way  there.  The  Indians, 
he  said,  were  also  very  thick  on  the  Arkansas  river,  between 
Fort  Dodge  and  Fort  Larned,  and  making  considerable  trouble. 
Fort  Dodge  was  located  sixty- five  miles  west  of  Fort  Larned,  the 
latter  post  being  on  the  Pawnee  fork,  about  five  miles  from  its 
junction  with  the  Arkansas  river. 

A   DANGEROUS   UNDERTAKING. 

The  commanding  officer  at  Fort  Dodge  was  anxious  to  send 
some  dispatches  to  Fort  Larned,  but  the  scouts,  like  those  at 
Fort  Hays,  were  rather  backward  about  volunteering,  as  it  was 
considered  a  very  dangerous  undertaking  to  make  the  trip.  As 
Fort  Larned  was  my  post,  and  as  I  wanted  to  go  there  anyhow, 
I  said  to  Austin  that  I  would  carry  the  dispatches,  and  if  any  of 
the  boys  wished  to  go  along,  I  would  like  to  have  them  for  com- 
pany's sake.  Austin  reported  my  offer  to  the  commanding  offi- 
cer, who  sent  for  me  and  said  he  would  be  happy  to  have  me  take 
his  dispatches,  if  I  could  stand  the  trip  on  top  of  all  that  I  had 
already  done.     "  All  I  want  is  a  good  fresh  horse,  sir,"  said  I. 

**  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  we  haven't  a  decent  horse  here,  but 
we  have  a  reliable  and  honest  government  mule,  if  that  Vt^ill  do 
you,"  said  the  officer.  *'  Trot  out  your  mule,"  said  I,  **  that's 
good  enough  for  me.     I  am  ready  at  any  time,  sir." 

The  mule  was  forthcoming,  and  at  dark  I  pulled  out  for  Fort 
Larned,  and'  proceeded  uninterruptedly  to  Coon  creek,  thirty 
miles  out  from  Dodge.  I  had  left  the  main  wagon  road  some 
distance  to  the  south,  and  had  traveled  parallel  with  it,  thinking 
this  to  be  a  safer  course,  as  the  Indians  might  be  lying  in  wait  on 
the  main  road  for  dispatch  bearers  and  scouts. 

At  Coon  creek  I  dismounted  and  led  the  mule  by  the  bridle 
down  to  the  water,  where  I  took  a  drink,  using  my  hat  for  a  dip- 
per. While  I  was  engaged  in  getting  the  water,  the  mule  jerked 
loose  and  struck  out  down  the  creek.  I  followed  him  in  hopes 
that  he  would  catch  his  foot  in  the  bridle-rein  and  stop,  but  this 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  145 

he  seemed  to  have  no  idea  of  doing.  He  was  making  straight 
for  the  wagon  road,  and  I  did  not  know  what  minute  he  might 
run  into  a  band  of  Indians.  He  finally  got  on  the  road,  but  in- 
stead of  going  back  toward  Fort  Dodge,  as  I  naturally  expected 
he  would  do,  he  turned  eastward  toward  Fort  Larned,  and  kept 
up  a  little  jog  trot  just  ahead  of  me,  but  would  not  let  me  come 
up  to  him,  although  I  tried  it  again  and  again.  I  had  my  gun  in 
my  hand,  and  several  times  I  was  strongly  tempted  to  shoot  him, 
and  would  probably  have  done  so  had  it  not  been  for  fear  of 
bringing  Indians  down  upon  me,  and  besides  he  was  carrying  the 
saddle  for  me.  So  I  trudged  on  after  the  obstinate  <*  critter," 
and  if  there  ever  was  a  government  mule  that  deserved  and  re- 
ceived a  good  round  cursing  it  was  that  one.  I  had  neglected 
the  precaution  of  tying  one  end  of  my  lariat  to  his  bit  and  the 
other  to  my  belt,  as  I  had  done  a  few  nights  before,  and  I 
blamed  myself  for  this  gross  piece  of  negligence. 

A  PROVOKING  MULE. 

Mile  after  mile  I  kept  on  after  that  mule,  and  every  once  in  a 
while  I  indulged  in  strong  language  respecting  the  whole  mule 
fraternity.  From  Coon  creek  to  Fort  Larned  it  was  thirty-five 
miles,  and  I  finally  concluded  that  my  prospects  were  good  for 
«* hoofing"  the  whole  distance.  We — that  is  to  say,  the  con- 
founded mule  and  myself — were  making  pretty  good  time. 
There  was  nothing  to  hold  the  mule,  and  I  was  all  the  time  try- 
ing to  catch  him  —  which  urged  him  on.  I  made  every  step 
count,  for  I  wanted  to  reach  Fort  Larned  before  daylight,  in  or- 
der to  avoid  if  possible  the  Indians,  to  whom  it  would  have  been 
*'  pie  "  to  have  caught  me  there  on  foot. 

The  mule  stuck  to  the  road  and  kept  on  for  Larned,  and  I  did 
the  same  thing.  Just  as  day  was  beginning  to  break,  we  —  that 
is  the  mule  and  myself  —  found  ourselves  on  a  hill  looking  down 
into  the  valley  of  the  Pawnee  fork,  in  which  Fort  Larned  was 
located,  only  four  miles  away;  and  when  the  morning  gun 
belched  forth  we  were  within  half  a  mile  of  the  post. 

*'  Now,"  said  I,  **  Mr.  Mule,  it  is  my  turn,"  and  raising  my 


146 


STORY  OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 


gun  to  my  shoulder,   in  *<  dead  earnest'*   this  time,   I   blazed 

away,  hitting  the  animal  in  the 
hip.  Throwing  a  second  cart- 
ridge into  the  gun,  I  let  him 
have  another  shot,  and  I  con- 
tinued to  pour  the  lead  into  him 
until  I  had  him  completely  laid 
out.  Like  the  great  majority 
of  government  mules,  he  was  a 
tough  one  to  kill,  and  he  clung 
to  life  with  all  the  tenaciousness 
of  his  obstinate  nature.  He 
was,  without  doubt,  the 
toughest  and  meanest  mule  I 
ever  saw,  and  he  died  hard. 

The  troops,  hearing  the  re- 
ports of  the  gun,  came  rushing 
out  to  see  what  was  the  matter. 
They  found  that  the  mule  had 
passed  in  his  chips,  and  when 
they  learned  the  cause  they  all 
agreed  that  I  had  served  him 
just  right.  Taking  the  saddle 
and  bridle  from  the  dead  body, 
I  proceeded  into  the  post  and 
delivered  the  dispatches  to 
Captain  Parker.  I  then  went 
over  to  Dick  Curtis'  house, 
which  was  headquarters  for  the 
scouts,  and  there  put  in  several 
hours  of  solid  sleep. 

During  the  day  General  Hazen 
returned  from    Fort   Harker, 
and  he  also  had  some  important 
PLAGUED  BY  A  MOLE.  dispatchcs  to  scud  to  General 

fcJheridan.     I  was  feeling  quite  elated  over  my  big  ride;  and  see* 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  147 

ing  that  I  was  getting  the  best  of  the  other  scouts  in  regard  to 
making  a  record,  I  volunteered  to  carry  General  Hazen's  dis- 
patches to  Fort  Hays.  The  General  accepted  my  services, 
although  he  thought  it  was  unnecessary  for  me  to  kill  myself. 
I  told  him  that  I  had  business  at  Fort  Hays,  and  wished  to  go 
there  anyway,  and  it  would  make  no  difference  to  the  other 
scouts,  for  none  of  them  appeared  willing  to  undertake  the  trip. 

Accordingly,  that  night  I  left  Fort  Larned  on  an  excellent 
horse,  and  next  morning  at  daylight  found  myself  once  more  in 
General  Sheridan's  headquarters  at  Fort  Hays.  The  General 
was  surprised  to  see  me,  and  still  more  so  when  I  told  him  of 
the  time  I  had  made  in  riding  to  Fort  Dodge,  and  that  I  had 
taken  dispatches  from  Fort  Dodge  to  Fort  Larned;  and  when, 
m  addition  to  this,  I  mentioned  my  journey  of  the  night  previous. 
General  Sheridan  thought  my  ride  from  post  to  post,  taken  as  a 
whole,  was  a  remarkable  one,  and  he  said  that  he  did  not  know 
of  its  equal.  I  can  safely  say  that  I  have  never  heard  of  its 
being  beaten  in  a  country  infested  with  hostile  Indians. 

To  recapitulate:  I  had  ridden  from  Fort  Larned  to  Fort 
Zarah  (a  distance  of  sixty-five  miles)  and  back  in  twelve  hours, 
including  the  time  when  I  was  taken  across  the  Arkansas  by  the 
Indians.  In  the  succeeding  twelve  hours  I  had  gone  from  Fort 
Larned  to  Fort  Hays,  a  distance  of  sixty-five  miles.  In  the  next 
twenty-four  hours  I  had  gone  from  Fort  Hays  to  Fort  Dodge,  a 
distance  of  ninety-five  miles.  The  following  night  I  had  trav- 
eled from  Fort  Dodge  thirty  miles  on  muleback  and  thirty-five 
miles  on  foot  to  Fort  Larned ;  and  the  next  night  sixty-five  miles 
more  to  Fort  Hays.  Altogether  I  had  ridden  (and  walked)  355 
miles  in  fifty-eight  riding  hours,  or  an  average  of  over  six  miles 
an  hour.  Of  course,  this  may  not  be  regarded  as  very  fast  rid- 
ing, but  taking  into  consideration  the  fact  that  it  was  mostly 
done  in  the  night  and  over  a  wild  country,  with  no  roads  to  fol- 
low, and  that  I  had  to  be  continually  on  the  look-out  for  Indians, 
it  was  thought  at  the  time  to  be  a  big  ride,  as  well  as  a  most 
dangerous  one. 


148 


STORY   OF  THE  WILD   WEST. 


CHAPTER    X. 


MY  APPOINTMENT  AS   CHIEF  OF  SCOUTS. 

^  ENERAL  SHERIDAN  highly  compli- 
mented me  for  what  I  had  done  and 
informed  me  that  I  need  not  report 
back  to  General  Hazen,  as  he  had 
more  important  work  for  me  to  do. 
He  told  me  that  the  Fifth  Cavalry  — 
one  of  the  finest  regiments  in  the 
army  —  was  on  its  way  to  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Missouri,  and  that  he  was 
going  to  send  it  on  an  expedition 
against  the  Dog  Soldier  Indians,  who 
weie  infesting  the  Republican  river 
region. 

"  Cody,"  continued  he,  **  I  have  decided  to  appoint  you  as 
guide  and  chief  of  scouts  with  the  command.  How  does  that 
suit  you?" 

"  First-rate,  General,  and  I  thank  you  for  the  honor,"  I  re- 
plied, as  gracefully  as  I  knew  how. 

The  Dog  Soldier  Indians  were  a  band  of  Cheyennes  and  unruly, 
turbulent  members  of  other  tribes,  who  would  not  enter  into  any 
treaty,  or  keep  a  treaty  if  they  made  one,  and  who  had  always 
refused  to  go  upon  a  reservation.  They  were  a  warlike  body  of 
well  built,  daring  and  restless  braves,  and  were  determined  to 
hold  possession  of  the  country  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Republican 
and  Solomon  rivers.  They  were  called  *'  Dog  Soldiers  "  because 
they  were  principally  Cheyennes  —  a  name  derived  from  the 
French  chien,  a  dog. 

eCOUTINQ. 

On  the  third  day  of  October  the  Fifth  Cavalry  arrived  at  Fort 
Hays,  and  I  at  once  began  making  the  acquaintance  of  the  dif ' 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL. 


149 


ferent  officers  of  the  regiment.  I  was  introduced  by  General 
Sheridan  to  Colonel  William  Koyal,  who  was  in  command  of  the 
regiment.  He  was  a  gallant  officer  and  an  agreeable  and  pleasant 
gentleman.  He  was  afterwards  stationed  at  Omaha  as  Inspector- 
General  in  the  Department  of  the  Platte.  I  also  became 
acquainted  with  Major  W.  H.  Brown,  Major  Walker,  Captain 
Sweetman,  Quartermaster  E.  M.  Hays,  and  in  fact  all  the  officers 
of  the  regiment. 

General  Sheridan,  being  anxious  to  punish  the  Indians  who 
bad  lately  fought  General  Forsyth,  did  not  give  the  regiment 


GOVERNMENT   MULE    TEAM. 

much  of  a  rest,  and  accordingly  on  the  5th  of  October  it  began 
its  march  for  the  Beaver  creek  country.  The  first  night  we 
camped  on  the  south  fork  of  Big  creek,  four  miles  west  of  Hays 
City.  By  this  time  I  had  become  pretty  well  acquainted  with 
Major  Brown  and  Captain  Sweetman,  who  invited  me  to  mess 
with  them  on  this  expedition,  and  a  jolly  mess  we  had.  There 
were  other  scouts  in  the  command  besides  myself  and  I  particu- 
larly remember  Tom  Eenahan,  Hank  Fields  and  a  character 
called  "Nosey  "  on  account  of  his  long  nose. 

On  the  morning  of  the  6th  we  pulled  out  to  the  north,  and 
during  the  day  I  was  very  favorably  struck  with  the  appearance 


150  STORY   OF   THE   WILD  WEST. 

of  the  regiment.  It  was  a  beautiful  command  and  when  strung 
out  on  the  prairie  with  a  train  of  seventy-five  six-mul-^- wagons, 
ambulances  and  pack-mules,  I  felt  very  proud  of  my  position  as 
guide  and  chief  of  scouts  of  such  a  warlike  expedition. 

Just  as  we  were  about  to  go  into  camp  on  the  Saline  river  that 
night,  we  ran  on  to  a  band  of  about  fifteen  Indians,  who,  seeing 
us,  dashed  across  the  creek,  followed  by  some  bullets  which  we 
sent  after  them  ;  but  as  the  small  band  proved  to  be  a  scouting 
party,  we  pursued  them  only  a  mile  or  two,  when  our  attention 
was  directed  to  a  herd  of  buffaloes,  which  we  immediately  pur- 
sued and  killed  ten  or  fifteen  for  the  command. 

The  next  day  we  marched  thirty  miles,  and  late  in  the  after- 
noon we  went  into  camp  on  the  South  fork  of  the  Solomon.  At 
this  encampment  Colonel  Royal  asked  me  to  go  out  and  kill  some 
buffaloes  for  the  boys. 

*' All  right.  Colonel,  send  along  a  wagon  or  two  to  bring  in  the 
meat,"  I  said. 

**  I  am  not  in  the  habit  of  sending  out  my  wagons  until  I  know 
that  there  is  something  to  be  hauled  in  ;  kill  your  buffaloes  first 
and  then  I'll  send  out  the  wagons,"  was  the  Colonel's  reply.  I 
said  no  more,  but  went  out  on  a  hunt,  and  after  a  short  absence 
returned  and  asked  the  Colonel  to  send  his  wagons  over  the  hill 
for  the  half  dozen  buffaloes  I  had  killed. 

BRINGING   LIVE   BUFFALOES    INTO   CAMP. 

The  following  afternoon  he  again  requested  me  to  go  out  and 
get  some  fresh  buffalo  meat.  I  didn't  ask  him  for  any  wagons 
this  time,  but  rode  out  some  distance,  and  coming  up  with  a  small 
herd,  I  managed  to  get  seven  of  them  headed  straight  for  the  en- 
campment, and  instead  of  shooting  them  just  then,  I  ran  them  at 
full  speed  right  into  the  camp,  and  then  killed  them  all,  one  after 
the  other  in  rapid  succession.  Colonel  Royal  witnessed  the  whole 
proceeding,  which  puzzled  him  somewhat,  as  he  could  see  no 
reason  why  I  had  not  killed  ihem  on  the  prairie.  He  came  up 
rather  angrily,  and  demanded  an  explanation.  * '  I  can't  allow  any 
such  business  as  this,  Cody,*  *  said  he,  *  *  what  do  you  mean  by  it  ?  " 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL. 


151 


**  I  didn't  care  about  asking  for  any  wagons  this  time,  Colonel ; 
80  I  thought  I  would  make  the  buffaloes  furnish  their  own  trans- 
portation/' was  my  reply.  The  Colonel  saw  the  point  in  a  mo- 
ment, and  had  no  more  to  say  on  the  subject. 

No  Indians  had  been  seen  in  the  vicinity  during  the  day  and 
Colonel  Royal  having  carefully  posted  his  pickets,  supposed  every- 
thing was  serene  for  the  night.  But  before  morning  we  were 
aroused  from  our  slumbers  by  hearing  shots  fired,  and  immediately 
afterwar<^9  one  of  the  mounted  pickets  came  galloping  into  camp. 


BRINGING  LIVE   MEAT  INTO   CAMP. 

saying  that  there  were  Indians  close  at  hand.  The  companies  ail 
fell  into  line,  and  were  soon  prepared  and  anxious  to  give  the  red- 
skins battle ;  but  as  the  men  were  yet  new  in  the  Indian  country  a 
great  many  of  them  were  considerably  excited.  No  Indians,  how- 
ever, made  their  appearance,  and  upon  going  to  the  picket-post 
where  the  picket  said  he  «een  them  none  could  be  found,  nor  could 
any  traces  of  them  be  discovered.  The  sentinel, —  who  was  an 
Irishman,  —  insisted  that  there  certainly  had  been  red-skins 
there. 


152 


STORY  OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 


rKEQG^ 


A  SCARED    IRISHMAN. 

*'But  you  must  be  mistaken,"  said  Colonel  Eoyal. 
**Upon  me  sowl,  Colonel,  I'm  not;  as  shure  ez  me  name's 
Pat  Maloney,  one  of  thim  rid  divils  hit  me  on  the  head  wid  a 
club,  so  he  did,"  said  Pat;  and  so,  when  morning  came,  the  mys- 
tery was  further  investigated  and  was  easily  solved.  Elk  tracks 
were  found  in  the  vicinity  and  it  was  undoubtedly  a  herd  of  elks 

,  that  had  frightened  Pat ;  as  he 
had  turned  to  run,  he  had  gone 
under  a  limb  of  a  tree,  against 
which  he  hit  his  head,  and  sup- 
posed he  had  been  struck  by  a 
club  in  the  hands  of  an  Indian. 
It  was  hard  to  convince  Pat 
however,  of  the  truth. 

A  three  days'  uninteresting 
march  brought  us  to  Beaver 
creek  where  we  camped  aiu! 
from  which  point  scoutin^L^ 
parties  were  sent  out  in  different 
directions.  Neither  of  these, 
however,  discovering  Indians 
they  all  returned  to  camp  about 
the  same  time,  finding  it  in  a 
state  of  great  excitement,  it 
having:  been  attacked  a  few 
hours  previous  by  a  party  of 
Indians,  who  had  succeeded  in  killing  two  men  and  in  making  off 
with  sixty  horses  belonging  to  Co.  H. 

That  evenin*:  the  command  started  on  the  trail  of  these  Indian 
horse-thieves ;  Major  Brown  with  two  companies  and  three  days 
rations  pushing  ahead  in  advance  of  the  main  command.  Being 
unsuccessful,  however,  in  overtaking  the  Indians,  and  getting 
nearly  out  of  provisions  —  it  being  our  eighteenth  day  out  — the 
entire  command  marched  towards  the  nearest  railroad  point,  and 


MONUMENT  ON    CUSTER 
BATTLE    GROUND. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF   BUFFALO  BILL  153 

camped  on  the  Saline  river,  distant  three  miles  from  Buffalo 
Tank.  While  waiting  for  supplies  we  received  a  new  commanding 
officer,  Brevet  Major-General  E.  A.  Carr,  who  was  the  senior 
major  of  the  regiment,  and  who  ranked  Colonel  Royal.  He 
brought  with  him  the  now  celebrated  Forsyth  scouts,  who  were 
commanded  by  Lieutenant  Pepoon,  a  regular-army  officer. 

It  was  also  while  waiting  in  this  camp  that  Major  Brown  received 
a  new  lieutenant  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  his  company.  On  the  day  that 
this  officer  was  to  arrive,  Major  Brown  had  his  private  ambulance 
brought  out,  and  invited  me  to  accompany  him  to  the  railroad 
station  to  meet  his  lieutenant,  whose  name  was  A.  B.  Bache.  He 
proved  to  be  a  fine  gentleman,  and  a  brave,  dashing  officer.  On 
the  way  to  the  depot  Major  Brown  had  said,  '*  Now,  Cody,  when 
we  come  back  we'll  give  Bache  a  lively  ride  and  shake  him  up  a 
little." 

A   LIVELY    SHAKING   UP. 

Major  Brown  was  a  jolly  good  fellow,  but  sometimes  he  would 
get  *«  a  little  off,"  and  as  this  was  one  of  his  **  off  days  "  he  was 
bound  to  amuse  himself  in  some  original  and  mischievous  way. 
Keaching  the  depot  just  as  the  train  came  in,  we  easily  found  the 
Lieutenant,  and  giving  him  the  back  seat  in  the  ambulance  we 
were  soon  headed  for  camp. 

Pretty  soon  Major  Brown  took  the  reins  from  his  driver,  and 
at  once  began  whipping  the  mules.  After  getting  them  into  a 
lively  gallop  he  pulled  out  his  revolver  and  fired  several  shots. 
The  road  was  terribly  rough  and  the  night  was  so  dark  that  we 
could  hardly  see  where  we  were  going.  It  was  a  wonderful 
piece  of  luck  that  we  were  not  tipped  over  and  our  necks  broken. 
Finally  Bache  said,  good-humoredly : 

**  Is  this  the  way  you  break  in  all  your  Lieutenants,  Major?  " 

*'0h,  no;  I  don't  do  this  as  a  regular  thing,  but  it's  the  way 
we  frequently  ride  in  this  country,"  said  the  Major;  *'  just  keep 
your  seat,  Mr.  Bache,  and  we'll  take  you  through  on  time." 
The  Major  appropriated  the  reply  of  the  old  California  stage- 
driver.  Hank  Monk,  to  Horace  Greely. 

We  were  now  rattling  down  a  steep  hill  at  full  speed,  and  just 


154  STORY  OP  THE   WILD   WEST. 

as  we  reached  the  bottom,  the  front  wheels  struck  a  deep  ditch 
over  which  the  mules  had  jumped.  We  were  all  brought  up 
standing  by  the  sudden  stoppage  of  the  ambulance.  Major 
Brown  and  myself  were  nearly  pitched  out  on  the  wheels,  while 
the  Lieutenant  came  flying  headlong  from  the  back  seat  to  the 
front  of  the  vehicle. 

♦*  Take  a  back  seat,  Lieutenant,"  coolly  said  Major  Brown. 

**  Major,  I  have  just  left  that  seat,"  said  Bache. 

We  soon  lifted  the  wagon  out  of  the  ditch,  and  then  resumed 
our  drive,  running  into  camp  under  full  headway,  and  creating 
considerable  amusement.  Every  one  recognized  the  ambulance 
and  knew  at  once  that  Major  Brown  and  I  were  out  on  a  **  lark," 
and  therefore  there  was  not  much  said  about  our  exploit.  Halt- 
ing with  a  grand  flourish  in  front  of  his  tent.  Major  Brown 
jumped  out  in  his  most  gallant  style  and  politely  asked  his  lieu- 
tenant in.  A  very  pleasant  evening  was  spent  there,  quite  a 
number  of  the  officers  calling  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  the 
new  officer,  who  entertained  the  visitors  with  an  amusing  account 
of  the  ride  from  the  depot. 

Next  morning  at  an  early  hour,  the  command  started  out  on  a 
hunt  for  Indians.  General  Carr  having  a  pretty  good  idea  where 
he  would  be  most  likely  to  find  them,  directed  me  to  guide  him 
by  the  nearest  route  to  Elephant  Rock  on  Beaver  creek. 

IN   SEARCH   OF   INDIANS. 

Upon  arriving  at  the  south  fork  of  the  Beaver  on  the  second 
day's  march,  we  discovered  a  large,  fresh  Indian  trail  which  we 
hurriedly  followed  for  a  distance  of  eight  miles,  when  suddenly 
we  saw  on  the  bluffs  ahead  of  us,  quite  a  large  number  of 
Indians. 

General  Carr  ordered  Lieutenant  Pepoon's  scouts  and  Com- 
pany M  to  the  front.  This  company  was  commanded  by  Lieu- 
tenant Schinosky,  a  Frenchman  by  birth  and  a  reckless  dare-devil 
by  nature,  who  was  anxious  to  have  a  hair -lifting  match. 
Having  advanced  his  company  nearly  a  mile  ahead  of  the  main 
command,  about  four  hundred  Indians  suddenly  charged  down 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL. 


155 


upon  him  and  gave  him  a  lively 
little  fight,  until  he  was  sup- 
ported by  oui^  full  force. 

The  Indians  kept  increasing  in 
numbers  all  the  while  until  it 
was  estimated  that  we  were  fight- 
ing from  eight  hundred  to  one 
thousand  of  them.  The  engage- 
ment became  quite  general,  and 
several  were  killed  and  wounded 
on  each  side.  The  Indians  were 
evidently  fighting  to  give  their 
families  and  village  a  chance  to 
get  away.  We  had  undoubtedly 
surprised  them  with  a  larger 
force  than  they  had  expected  to 
see  in  that  part  of  the  country. 
We  fought  them  until  dark,  all 
the  time  driving  them  before  us. 
At  night  they  annoyed  us  con- 
siderably by  firing  down  into  our 
camp  from  the  higher  hills,  and 
several  times  the  command  was 
ordered  out  to  dislodge  them 
from  their  position  and  drive 
them  back. 

After  having  returned  from 
one  of  these  little  sallies,  Major 
Brown,  Captain  Sweet  man, 
Lieutenant  Bache  and  myself 
were  taking  supper  together, 
when  * '  whang ! ' '  came  a  bullet 
into  Lieutenant  Bache' s  plate, 
breaking  a  hole  through  it.  The 
bullet  came  from  the  gun  of  one 
of  the  Indians,  who  had  re- 
turned to  the  high  bluff  overlopk- 


A    CRACK    SHOT. 


156  aiORT  OP  THE  WILD   WEST. 

ing  our  camp.  Major  Brown  declared  it  was  a  crack  shot,  be- 
cause it  broke  the  plate.  We  finished  our  supper  without  having 
any  more  such  close  calls. 

At  dayught  next  morning  we  struck  out  on  the  trail,  and  soon 
came  to  the  spot  where  the  Indians  had  camped  the  day  before. 
We  could  see  that  their  village  was  a  very  large  one,  consisting 
of  about  ^ye  hundred  lodges ;  and  we  pushed  forward  rapidly 
from  this  point  on  the  trail  which  ran  back  toward  Prairie  Dog 
creek. 

About  two  o'clock  we  came  in  sight  of  the  retreating  village, 
and  soon  the  warriors  turned  back  to  give  us  battle.  They  set 
fire  to  the  prairie  grass  in  front  of  us,  and  on  all  sides,  in  order 
to  delay  us  as  much  as  possible.  We  kept  up  a  running  fight  for 
the  remainder  of  the  afternoon,  and  the  Indians  repeatedly  at- 
tempted to  lead  us  off  the  track  of  their  flying  village,  but  their 
trail  was  easily  followed,  as  they  were  continually  dropping  tepee 
poles,  camp  kettles,  robes,  furs  and  all  heavy  articles  belonging 
to  them.  They  were  evidently  scattering,  and  it  finally  became 
difficult  for  U3  to  keep  on  the  main  trail.  When  darkness  set  in, 
we  went  into  camp,  it  being  useless  to  try  to  follow  the  Indians 
after  nightfall. 

Next  morning  we  were  again  on  the  trail,  which  led  north  and 
back  towards  Beaver  creek,  which  stream  it  crossed  within  a 
few  miles  of  the  spot  where  we  had  first  discovered  the  Indians, 
they  having  made  nearly  a  complete  circle,  in  hopes  of  mislead 
ing  us.  Late  in  the  afternoon,  we  again  saw  them  going  over  a 
hill  far  ahead  of  us,  and  towards  evening  the  main  body  of  war- 
riors came  back  and  fought  us  once  more  ;  but  we  continued  to 
drive  them  until  darkness  set  in,  when  we  camped  for  the  night. 

The  Indians  soon  scattered  in  every  direction,  but  we  followed 
the  main  trail  to  the  Republican  river,  where  we  made  a  cut-off, 
and  then  went  north  towards  the  Platte  river.  We  found,  how- 
ever, that  the  Indians  by  traveling  night  and  day  had  got  a  long 
start,  and  the  General  concluded  that  it  was  useless  to  follow 
them  any  further,  as  we  had  pushed  them  so  hard,  and  given 
them  such  a  scare  tha,t  they  would  leave  the  Republican  country 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  157 

and  go  north  across  the  Union  Pacific  railroad.  Most  of  the  In- 
dians, as  he  had  predicted,  did  cross  the  Platte  river,  near 
Ogalalla,  on  the  Union  Pacific,  and  thence  continued  northward. 
That  night  we  returned  to  the  Kepublican  river  and  camped  in 
a  grove  of  cottonwoods,  which  I  named  Carr's  Grove,  in  honor  of 
the  commanding  oflScer. 

OUT   IN   A    DRY   COUNTRY. 

The  General  told  me  that  the  next  day's  march  would  be 
towards  the  head- waters  of  the  Beaver,  and  he  asked  me  the  dis- 
tance. I  replied  that  it  was  about  twenty-five  miles,  and  he  said 
he  would  make  it  the  next  day.  Getting  an  early  start  in  the 
morning,  we  struck  out  across  the  prairie,  my  position  as  guide 
being  ahead  of  the  advance  guard.  About  two  o'clock  General 
Carr  overtook  me,  and  asked  how  far  I  supposed  it  was  to  water. 
I  thought  it  was  about  eight  miles,  although  we  could  see  no 
sign  or  indication  of  any  stream  in  our  front. 

**  Pepoon's  scouts  say  you  are  going  in  the  wrong  direction," 
said  the  General,  *'  and  in  the  way  you  are  bearing  it  will  be  fif- 
teen miles  before  you  can  strike  any  of  the  branches  of  the 
Beaver;  and  that  when  you  do,  you  will  find  no  water,  for  the 
Beavers  are  dry  at  this  time  of  the  year  at  that  point." 

<*  General,  I  think  the  scouts  are  mistaken,"  said  I,  **  for  the 
Beaver  has  more  water  near  its  head  than  it  has  below ;  and  at 
the  place  where  we  will  strike  the  stream  we  will  find  immense 
beaver  dams,  large  enough  and  strong  enough  to  cross  the  whole 
command,  if  you  wish." 

**  Well,  Cody,  go  ahead,"  said  he,  ^'I'U  leave  it  to  you,  but 
remember  that  I  don't  want  a  dry  camp." 

**  No  danger  of  that,"  said  I,  and  then  I  rode  on,  leaving  him 
to  return  to  the  command.  As  I  had  predicted,  we  found  water 
seven  or  eight  miles  further  on,  where  we  came  upon  a  beautiful 
little  stream  —  a  tributary  of  the  Beaver  —  hidden  in  the  hills- 
We  had  no  difficulty  in  selecting  a  good  halting  place,  and  obtain- 
ing fresh  spring  water  and  excellent  grass.  The  General,  upon 
learning  from  me  that  the  stream  —  which  was  only  eight  or  nine 


158  STORY  OF   THE   WILD  WEST. 

miles  long  —  had  no  name,  took  out  his  map  and  located  tc  and 
named  it  Cody's  creek,  which  name  it  still  bears. 

SURPRISED   BY   INDIANS. 

We  pulled  out  early  next  morning  for  the  Beaver,  and  when 
we  were  approaching  the  stream  I  rode  on  ahead  of  the  advance 
guard,  in  order  to  find  a  crossing.  Just  as  I  turned  a  bend  of 
the  creek  **  bang  I  "  went  a  shot,  and  down  went  my  horse  —  my- 
self with  him.  I  disentangled  myself,  and  jumped  behind  the 
dead  body.  Looking  in  the  direction  whence  the  shot  had 
come  I  saw  two  Indians,  and  at  once  turned  my  gun  loose  on 
them,  but  in  the  excitement  of  the  moment  I  missed  my  aim. 
They  fired  two  or  three  more  shots,  and  I  returned  the  compli- 
ment, wounding  one  of  their  horses. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek,  going  over  the  hill,  I  ob- 
served a  few  lodges  moving  rapidly  away,  and  also  some  mounted 
ivarriors,  who  could  see  me,  and  who  kept  blazing  away  with 
their  guns.  The  two  Indians  who  had  fired  at  me  and  had  killed 
my  horse  were  retreating  across  the  creek  on  a  beaver-dam.  I 
sent  a  few  shots  after  them  to  accelerate  their  speed,  and  also 
fired  at  the  ones  on  the  other  side  of  the  stream.  I  was  unde- 
cided as  to  whether  it  was  best  to  run  back  to  the  command  on 
foot  or  hold  my  position.  I  knew  that  within  a  few  minutes  the 
troops  would  come  up,  and  I  therefore  decided  to  hold  my  position. 
The  Indians,  seeing  that  I  was  alone,  turned  and  charged  down 
the  hill,  and  were  about  to  re-cross  the  creek  to  corral  me,  when 
the  advance  guard  of  the  command  put  in  an  appearance  on  the 
ridge,  and  dashed  forward  to  my  rescue.  The  red-skins  whirled 
and  made  off. 

When  General  Carr  came  up,  he  ordered  Company  I  to  go  in 
pursuit  of  the  band.  I  accompanied  Lieutenant  Brady,  who 
commanded,  and  we  had  a  running  fight  with  the  Indians,  lasting 
several  hours.  We  captured  several  head  of  their  horses  and 
most  of  their  lodges.  At  night  we  returned  to  the  command, 
which  by  this  time  had  crossed  the  creek  on  the  beaver-dam. 

We  scouted  for  several  days  along  the  river,  and  had  two  or 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO  BILL. 


159 


three  lively  skirmishes.  Finally  our  supplies  began  to  run  low, 
and  General  Carrgave  orders  to  return  to  Fort  Wallace,  which  we 
reached  three  days  afterwards,  and  where  we  remained  several  days. 
While  the  regiment  was  waiting  here  for  orders,  I  spent  most 
of  the  time  in  hunting  buffaloes,  and  one  day,  while  I  was  out 
with  a  small  party,  we  were  '*  jumped  '*  by  about  fifty  Indians. 
We  had  a  severe  fight  for  at  least  an  hour,  when  we  succeeded  in 
driving  the  enemy.     They  lost  four  of  their  warriors,  and  proba- 


FLIGHT   OP    THE    INDIANS. 

bly  concluded  that  we  were  a  hard  crowd.  I  had  some  excellent 
marksmen  with  me,  and  they  did  some  fine  work,  sending  the 
bullets  thick  and  fast  where  they  would  do  the  most  good.  Two 
cr  three  of ,  our  horses  had  been  hit,  and  one  man  had  been 
wounded  ;  we  were  ready  and  willing  to  stay  with  the  red- skins 
as  long  as  they  wished  —  but  they  finally  gave  it  up,  however,  as 
a  bad  job,  and  rode  off.  We  finished  our  hunt,  and  went  back  to 
the  post  loaded  down  w?th  buffalo  meat,  and  received  the  com- 
pliment of  the  General  for  our  little  fight. 

86 


160 


aXORY   OF   THE   WILD   WEST 


CHAPTER    XI. 


A   HARD  WINTER  8   CAMPAIGN. 

ERY  soon  after  our  fight  on  Beaver  creek, 
Gen.  Carr  received  orders  from  Gen. 
Sheridan  for  a  winter's  campaign  in 
the  Canadian  river  country,  instructing 
him  to  proceed  at  once  to  Fort  Lyon, 
Colorado,  and  there  to  fit  out  for  the  ex- 
pedition. Leaving  Fort  Wallace  in  No- 
vember, 1868,  we  arrived  at  Fort  Lyon 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  month  without 
^  special  incident,  and  at  once  began  our 
preparations  for  invading  the  enemy's 
country. 

General  Penrose  had  left  this  post  three 
weeks  previously  with  a  command  of 
^me  three  hundred  men.  He  had  taken  no  wagons  with  him 
aad  his  supply  train  was  composed  only  of  pack  mules.  General 
Carr  was  ordered  to  follow  with  supplies  on  his  trail  and  over- 
take him  as  soon  as  possible.  I  was  particularly  anxious  to 
caich  up  with  Penrose's  command,  as  my  old  friend,  Wild  Bill, 
wa*3  among  his  scouts.  We  followed  the  trail  very  easily  for  the 
fiist  three  days,  and  then  we  were  caught  in  Freeze-Out  canyon 
by  £w  fearful  snow  storm,  which  compelled  us  to  go  into  camp  for 
a  day.  The  ground  now  being  covered  with  snow,  we  found  that 
it  wotiid  be  impossible  to  follow  Penrose's  trail  any  further, 
especially  as  he  had  left  no  sign  to  indicate  the  direction  he  was 
going.  General  Carr  sent  for  me  and  said  that  as  it  was  very 
importdnt  that  we  should  not  lose  the  trail,  he  wished  that  I 
would  take  some  scouts  with  me,  and  while  the  command  re- 
mained i*i  camp,  push  on  as  far  as  possible  and  see  if  I  could  not 
discover  ksome  traces  of  Penrose  or  where  he  had  camped  at  any 
time. 


CHIEF    JOSEPH    OF  THE   NEZ    PERCES,  OR    HIN-MAH-TOO-YAH- 

LAT-KEKT, 

THE  INDIAN  XENOPHON 
Courtesy  of  Smithsonian  Institution. 


HOLLOW    HOEN    BEAE,    SIOUX    CHIEF. 
Courtesy  of  Smithsonian  Institution. 


CHIEF    GALL, 

WAR-CHIEF   OF   THE   SIOUX, 


Photo  by  D.  F.  Barry. 


NELLIE    JUMPING    EAGLE,    OGALALLA    SIOUX. 
Courtesy  of  Field  Museum. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  161 

Accompanied  by  four  men  I  started  out  in  the  blinding  snow 
storm,  taking  a  southerly  direction.  We  rode  twenty-four  miles, 
and  upon  reaching  a  tributary  of  the  Cimarron,  we  scouted  up 
and  down  the  stream  for  a  few  miles  and  finally  found  one  of 
Penrose's  old  camps.  It  was  now  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  as 
the  command  would  come  up  the  next  day,  it  was  not  necessary 
for  all  of  us  to  return  with  the  information  to  General  Carr. 
So  riding  down  into  a  sheltered  place  in  a  bend  of  the  creek,  we 
built  a  fire  and  broiled  some  venison  from  a  deer  which  we  had 
shot  during  the  day,  and  after  eating  a  substantial  meal  I  left 
the  four  men  there,  while  I  returned  to  bring  up  the  troops. 

It  was  eleven  o'clock  at  night  when  I  got  back  to  the  camp. 
A  light  was  still  burning  in  the  General's  tent,  he  having  re- 
mained awake,  anxiously  awaiting  my  return.  He  was  glad  to 
see  me,  and  was  overjoyed  at  the  information  I  brought,  for  he 
he  had  great  fears  concerning  the  safety  of  General  Penrose. 
He  roused  up  his  cook  and  ordered  him  to  get  me  a  good  hot 
supper,  all  of  which  I  greatly  appreciated.  I  passed  the  night 
in  the  General's  tent,  and  next  morning  rose  refreshed  and  pre- 
pared for  a  big  day's  work. 

A  ROUGH  MARCH. 

The  command  took  up  its  march  next  day  for  the  Cimarron, 
and  had  a  hard  tramp  of  it  on  account  of  the  snow  having  drifted 
to  a  great  depth  in  many  of  the  ravines,  and  in  some  places  the 
teamsters  had  to  shovel  their  way  through.  We  arrived  at  the 
Cimarron  at  sundown,  and  went  into  a  nice  warm  camp.  Upon 
looking  around  next  morning,  we  found  that  Penrose,  having  been 
unencumbered  by  wagons,  had  kept  on  the  west  side  of  the  Cim- 
arron, and  the  country  was  so  rough  that  it  was  impossible  for 
us  to  stay  on  his  trail  with  our  wagons ;  but  knowing  that  he 
would  certainly  follow  down  the  river.  General  Carr  concluded 
to  take  the  best  wagon  route  along  the  stream,  which  I  discov- 
ered to  be  on  the  east  side.  Before  we  could  make  any  headway 
with  our  wagon  train  we  had  to  leave  the  river  and  get  out  on  the 
divide.    We  were  very  fortunate  that  day  in  finding  a  splendid 


162  STORY   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

road  for  some  distance,  until  we  were  all  at  once  brought  up  stand- 
ing on  a  high  table-land,  overlooking  a  beautiful  winding  creek 
that  lay  far  below  us  in  the  valley.  The  question  that  troubled 
us  was  how  we  were  to  get  the  wagons  down.  We  were  now 
in  the  foot-hills  of  the  Kattoon  mountains,  and  the  bluff  we  were 
on  was  very  steep. 

**  Cody,  we're  in  a  nice  fix  now,"  said  General  Carr. 

"  Oh,  that's  nothing,"  was  my  reply. 

"But  you  can  never  take  the  train  down,"  said  he. 

**  Never  you  mind  the  train.  General.  You  say  you  are  look- 
ing for  a  good  camp.  How  does  that  beautiful  spot  down  in  the 
valley  suit  you?"  I  asked  him. 

'*  That  will  do.  I  can  easily  descend  with  the  cavalry,  but  how 
to  get  the  wagons  down  there  is  a  puzzler  to  me,"  said  he. 

**  By  the  time  you've  located  your  camp,  your  wagons  shall  be 
there,"  said  I. 

**  All  right,  Cody,  I'll  leave  it  to  you,  as  you  seem  to  want  to 
be  boss,"  he  replied  pleasantly.  He  at  once  ordered  the  com- 
mand to  dismount  and  lead  the  horses  down  the  mountain-side. 
The  wagon  train  was  a  mile  in  the  rear,  and  when  it  came  up,  one 
of  the  drivers  asked:   **  How  are  we  going  down  there?" 

*«  Run  down,  slide  down  or  fall  down  —  any  way  to  get  down," 
said  I. 

*'  We  never  can  do  it;  it's  too  steep;  the  wagons  will  run  over 
the  mules,"  said  another  wagon-master. 

"  I  guess  not;  the  mules  have  got  to  keep  out  of  the  way," 
was  my  reply. 

I  told  Wilson,  the  chief  wagon-master,  to  bring  on  his  mess- 
wagon,  which  was  at  the  head  of  the  train,  and  I  would  try  the 
experiment  at  least.  Wilson  drove  the  team  and  wagon  to  the 
brink  of  the  hill,  and  following  my  directions  he  brought  out  some 
extra  chains  with  which  we  locked  both  wheels  on  each  side,  and 
then  rough-locked  them.  We  now  started  the  wagon  down  the 
hill .  The  wheel-horses  —  or  rather  the  wheel-mules —  were  gO(  )d 
on  the  hold-back,  and  we  got  along  finely  until  we  nearly  reached 
the  bottom,  when  the  wagon  crowded  the  mules  so  hard  that  they 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL  163 

started  on  a  run  and  galloped  down  into  the  valley  and  to  the 
place  where  General  Carr  had  located  his  camp.  Three  other 
wagons  immediately  followed  in  the  same  way,  and  in  half  an 
hour  every  wagon  was  in  camp,  without  the  least  accident  having 
occurred.  It  was  indeed  an  exciting  sight  to  see  the  six-mule 
teams  come  straight  down  the  mountain  and  finally  break  into  a 
full  run.  At  times  it  looked  as  if  the  wagons  would  turn  a 
somersault  and  land  on  the  mules. 

This  proved  to  be  a  lucky  march  for  us,  as  far  as  gaining  on 
Penrose  was  concerned,  for  the  route  he  had  taken  on  the  west 
side  of  the  stream  turned  out  to  be  a  bad  one,  and  we  went  with 
our  immense  wagon-train  as  far  in  one  day  as  Penrose  had  in 
seven.  His  command  had  marched  on  to  a  plateau  or  high  table- 
land so  steep  that  not  even  a  pack-mule  could  descend  it,  and  he 
was  obliged  to  retrace  his  steps  a  long  ways,  thus  losing  three 
days'  time,  as  we  afterwards  learned. 

A  TURKEY  HUNT  WITH  CLUBS. 

While  in  this  camp  we  had  a  lively  turkey  hunt.  The  trees 
along  the  banks  of  the  stream  were  literally  alive  with  wild 
turkeys,  and  after  unsaddling  the  horses  between  two  and  three 
hundred  soldiers  surrounded  a  grove  of  timber  and  had  a  grand 
turkey  round-up,  killing  four  or  ^ve  hundred  of  the  birds,  with 
guns,  clubs  and  stones.  Of  course,  we  had  turkey  in  every  style 
after  this  hunt — roast  turkey,  boiled  turkey,  fried  turkey, 
"  turkey  on  toast,"  and  so  on;  and  we  appropriately  called  this 
place  Camp  Turkey. 

From  this  point  on,  for  several  days,  we  had  no  trouble  in 
following  Penrose's  trail,  which  led  us  in  a  southeasterly  direction 
towards  the  Canadian  river.  No  Indians  were  seen  nor  any  signs 
of  them  found.  One  day,  while  riding  in  advance  of  the  com- 
mand, down  San  Francisco  creek,  I  heard  some  one  calling  my 
name  from  a  little  bunch  of  willow  brush  on  the  opposite  bank, 
and,  upon  looking  closely  at  the  spot,  I  saw  a  negro. 

* '  Sakes  alive  I  Massa  Bill,  am  dat  you  ?  "  asked  the  man,  whom 
I  recognized  as  one  of  the  colored  soldiers  of  the  Tenth  Cavalry. 


164  STOBT  OF  THE  WILD  WEST. 

I  next  heard  him  say  to  some  one  in  the  brush:  "  Come  out  o* 
heah.  Dar's  Massa  Buffalo  Bill."  Then  he  sang  out :  *«  Massa 
Bill,  is  you  got  any  hawd  tack?  " 

"Nary  a  hardtack;  but  the  wagons  will  be  along  presently 
and  then  you  can  get  all  you  want,**  said  I. 

**  Dat's  de  best  news  I'se  heerd  foah  sixteen  long  days,  Massa 
Bill,"  said  he. 

**  Where's  your  command?  Where's  General  Penrose?"  I  asked. 

**  I  dunno,"  said  the  darkey;  *'  we  got  lost  and  we's  been  a 
starvin'  eber  since." 

By  this  time  two  other  negroes  had  emerged  from  their  place 
of  concealment.  They  had  deserted  Penrose's  command — which 
was  out  of  rations  and  nearly  in  a  starving  condition  —  and  were 
trying  to  make  their  way  back  to  Fort  Lyon.  General  Carr 
concluded,  from  what  they  could  tell  him,  that  General  Penrose 
was  somewhere  on  Palladora  creek  ;  but  we  could  not  learn  any- 
thing definite  from  the  starved  «*  mokes,"  for  they  knew  not 
where  they  were  themselves. 

RESCUE  OF   A   STARVING   COMMAND. 

Having  learned  that  General  Penrose's  troops  were  in  such  bad 
shape.  General  Carr  ordered  Major  Brown  to  start  out  the  next 
morning  with  two  companies  of  cavalry  and  fifty  pack-mules 
loaded  with  provisions,  and  to  make  all  possible  speed  to  reach 
and  relieve  the  suffering  soldiers.  I  accompanied  this  detach- 
ment, and  on  the  third  day  out  we  found  the  half-famished 
soldiers  camped  on  the  Palladora.  The  camp  presented  a  pitiful 
sight,  indeed.  For  over  two  weeks  the  men  had  had  only  quarter 
rations  and  were  now  nearly  starved  to  death.  Over  two  hundred 
horses  and  mules  were  lying  dead,  having  died  from  fatigue 
and  starvation.  General  Penrose,  fearing  that  General  Carr 
would  not  find  him,  had  sent  back  a  company  of  the  Seventh 
Cavalry  to  Fort  Lyon  for  supplies ;  but  no  word  as  yet  had  been 
heard  from  them.  The  rations  which  Major  Brown  brought  to 
the  command  came  none  too  soon  and  were  the  means  of  saving 
many  lives. 


AUTOBIOGEAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL. 


165 


About  the  first  man  I  saw  after  reaching  the  camp  was  my  old, 
true  and  tried  friend,  Wild  Bill.  That  night  we  had  a  jolly  re- 
union around  the  camp-fires. 

General  Carr,  upon  arriving  with  his  force,  took  command  of 
all  the  troops,  he  being  the  senior  oflScer  and  ranking  General 
Penrose.  After  selecting  a  good  camp,  he  unloaded  the  wagons 
and  sent  them  back  to  Fort  Lyon  for  fresh  supplies.     He  then 


DISCOVERY  OP  Penrose's  starving  comjiiand. 
picked  out  five  hundred  of  the  best  men  and  horses,  and,  taking 
his  pack-train  with  him,  he  started  south  for  the  Canadian  river, 
distant  about  forty  miles,  leaving  the  rest  of  the  troops  at  the 
supply  camp. 

SUCCESSFUL  RAID  ON  A  BEER  TRAIN. 

I  was  ordered  to  accompany  this  expedition.     We  struck  the 
south  fork  of  the  Canadian  river,  or  Kio  Colorado,  at  a  point  a 


166  STORY  OF  THE   WILD  WEST. 

few  miles  above  the  old  adobe  walls,  whicli  at  one  time  had  com- 
posed a  fort,  and  was  the  place  where  Kit  Carson  once  had  a  big 
Indian  fight.  We  were  now  within  twelve  miles  of  a  new  sup- 
ply depot,  called  Camp  Evans,  which  had  been  established  for 
the  Third  Cavalry  and  Evans'  Expedition  from  New  Mexico. 
The  scouts  who  had  brought  in  this  information  also  reported 
that  they  expected  the  arrival  at  Camp  Evans  of  a  bull-train 
from  New  Mexico  with  a  large  quantity  of  beer  for  the  soldiers. 
This  news  was  grateful  to  Wild  Bill  and  myself,  and  we  deter- 
mined to  lie  low  for  that  beer  outfit.  That  very  evening  it  came 
along,  and  the  beer  that  was  destined  for  the  soldiers  at  Camp 
Evans  never  reached  its  destination.  It  went  straight  down 
the  thirsty  throats  of  General  Carr's  command.  It  appears 
that  the  Mexicans  living  near  Fort  Union  had  manufactured 
the  beer,  and  were  taking  it  through  to  Camp  Evans  to  sell 
to  the  troops,  but  it  struck  a  lively  market  without  going  so 
far.  It  was  sold  to  our  boys  in  pint  cups,  and  as  the  weather 
was  very  cold  we  warmed  the  beer  by  putting  the  ends  of  our 
picket-pins  heated  red  hot  into  the  cups.  The  result  was  one 
of  the  biggest  beer  jollifications  I  ever  had  the  misfortune  to 
attend. 

One  evening  General  Carr  summoned  me  to  his  tent,  and  said 
he  wished  to  send  some  scouts  with  dispatches  to  Camp  Supply, 
which  were  to  be  forwarded  from  there  to  Sheridan.  He  ordered 
me  to  call  the  scouts  together  at  once  at  his  headquarters,  and  se- 
lect the  men  who  were  to  go.  I  asked  him  if  I  should  not  go 
myself,  but  he  replied  that  he  wished  me  to  remain  with  the  com- 
mand, as  he  could  not  spare  me.  The  distance  to  Camp  Supply 
was  about  two  hundred  miles,  and  owing  to  the  very  cold  weather 
it  was  anything  but  a  pleasant  trip.  Consequently  none  of  the 
scouts  were  anxious  to  undertake  it.  It  was  finally  settled,  how- 
ever, that  Wild  Bill,  a  half-breed  called  Little  Geary,  and  three 
other  scouts  should  carry  the  dispatches,  and  they  accordingly 
took  their  departure  next  day,  with  instructions  to  return  to  the 
command  as  soon  as  possible. 

For  several  days  we  scouted  along  the  Canadian  river,  but 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  167 

found  no  signs  of  Indians.  General  Carr  then  went  back  to  his 
camp,  and  soon  afterwards  our  wagon  train  came  in  from  Fort 
Lyon  with  a  fresh  load  of  provisions.  Our  animals  being  in  poor 
condition,  we  remained  in  different  camps  along  San  Francisco 
Creek  and  the  north  fork  of  the  Canadian  until  Wild  Bill  and 
his  scouts  returned  from  Camp  Supply. 

A  FREE  FIGHT  AMONG  THE  SCOUTS. 

Among  the  scouts  of  Penrose's  command  were  fifteen  Mexi- 
cans, and  between  them  and  the  American  scouts  there  had  ex- 
isted a  feud ;  when  General  Carr  took  command  of  the  expedi- 
tions —  uniting  it  with  his  own  —  and  I  was  made  chief  of  all  the 
scouts,  this  feud  grew  more  intense,  and  the  Mexicans  often 
threatened  to  clean  us  out ;  but  they  postponed  the  undertaking 
from  time  to  time,  until  one  day,  while  we  were  all  at  the  sutler's 
store,  the  long-expected  fight  took  place,  and  resulted  in  the 
Mexicans  getting  severely  beaten. 

General  Carr  upon  hearing  of  the  row,  sent  for  Wild  Bill  and  my- 
self, he  having  concluded,  from  the  various  statements  which  had 
been  made  to  him,  that  we  were  the  instigators  of  the  affair. 
But  after  listening  to  what  we  had  to  say,  he  thought  that  the 
Mexicans  were  as  much  to  blame  as  we  were. 

It  is  not  to  be  denied  that  Wild  Bill  and  myself  had  been  par- 
taking too  freely  of  *' tangle-foot "  that  evening;  and  Gen- 
eral Carr  said  to  me:  *'  Cody,  there  are  plenty  of  antelopes  in 
the  country,  and  you  can  do  some  hunting  for  the  camp  while  we 
stay  here." 

'*All  right.  General,  I'll  do  it." 

After  that  I  put  in  my  time  hunting,  and  with  splendid  success, 
killing  from  fifteen  to  twenty  antelopes  a  day,  which  kept  the 
men  well  supplied  with  fresh  meat. 

At  length,  our  horses  and  mules  having  become  sufficiently  re- 
cruited to  travel,  we  returned  to  Fort  Lyon,  arriving  there  in 
March,  1869,  where  the  command  was  to  rest  and  recruit  for  thir- 
ty days,  before  proceeding  to  the  Department  of  the  Platte, 
whither  it  had  been  ordered. 


168 


STOBT  OP  THE  WILD  WEST 


CHAPTER    XII. 


I  AM  ACCUSED  Or  SELLING  GOVERNMENT  PROPERTY. 


PON  my  return  to  Fort  Lyon  General  Carr 
granted  me  a  leave  of  absence  of  one  month 
which  I  improved  by  paying  a  visit  to  mj> 
family  which  was  at  this  time  in  St.  Louis. 
The  nearest  railroad  station  to  Fort  Lyon  was 
Sheridan,  fully  one  hundred  and  forty  miles 
distant,  and  rs  I  had  no  conveyance  of  my 
own,  General  Carr  instructed  Captain  Hays, 
our  quartermaster,  to  give  me  the  use  of  a 
horse  to  make  the  necessary  journey.  When  I 
received  the  horse  it  was  with  instructions  to  leave  the  animal  m 
the  quartermaster's  corral  at  Fort  Wallace  until  my  return,  but 
instead  of  so  doing  I  placed  the  horse  in  the  care  of  an  old  friend 
named  Perry,  who  was  a  hotel-keeper  in  Sheridan. 

After  a  twenty  days'  absence  in  St.  Louis,  pleasantly  spent 
with  my  family,  I  returned  to  Sheridan,  and  there  learned  that 
my  horse  had  been  seized  by  the  government.  It  seems  that  the 
quartermaster's  agent  at  Sheridan  had  reported  to  General  Bank- 
head,  commanding  Fort  Wallace,  and  to  Captain  Laufer,  the 
quartermaster,  that  I  had  left  the  country  and  had  sold  a  govern- 
ment horse  and  mule  to  Mr.  Perry,  and  of  course  Captain  Laufer 
took  possession  of  the  animals  and  threatened  to  have  Perry  ar- 
rested for  buying  government  property.  Perry  explained  to  him 
the  facts  in  the  case  and  said  that  I  would  return  in  a  few  days ; 
but  the  Captain  would  pay  no  attention  to  his  statements. 

I  immediately  went  over  to  the  office  of  the  quartermaster's 
agent,  and  had  Perry  point  him  out  to  me.  I  at  once  laid  hold 
of  him,  and  in  a  short  time  had  treated  him  to  just  such  a 
thrashing  as  his  contemptible  lie  deserved.  He  then  mounted  a 
horse,  rode  to  Fort  Wallace,  and  reported  me  to  General  Bank- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BUXc  169 

head  and  Captain  Laufer,  and  obtained  a  guard  to  return  with 
and  protect  him. 

The  next  morning  I  secured  a  horse  from  Perry,  and  proceed- 
ing to  Fort  Wallace  demanded  my  horse  and  mule  from  General 
Bankhead,  on  the  ground  that  they  were  Quartermaster  Hays* 
property  and  belonged  to  General  Carr's  command  and  that  I  had 
obtained  permission  to  ride  them  to  Sheridan  and  back.  Gener^ 
al  Bankhead  in  a  grufp  manner  ordered  me  out  of  his  office  and 
off  the  reservation,  saying  that  if  I  didn't  take  5  hurried  depar- 
ture he  would  have  me  forcibly  put  out.  I  told  him  to  do  it  and 
be  hanged  ;  I  might  have  used  a  stronger  expression,  and  upon 
second  thought,  I  believe  I  did.  I  next  interviewed  Captain 
Laufer  and  demanded  of  him  also  the  horse  and  mule,  as  I  was 
responsible  for  them  to  Quartermaster  Hays.  Captain  Laufer 
intimated  that  I  was  a  liar  and  that  I  had  disposed  of  the  ani- 
mals. Hot  words  ensued  between  us,  and  he  too  ordered  me  to 
leave  the  post.  I  replied  that  General  Bankhead  had  commanded 
me  to  do  the  same  thing,  but  that  I  had  not  yet  gone ;  and  that  I 
did  not  propose  to  obey  any  orders  of  an  inferior  officer. 

Seeing  that  it  was  of  no  use  to  make  any  further  effort  to  get 
possession  of  the  animals  I  rode  back  to  Sheridan,  and  just  as  I 
reached  there  I  met  the  quartermaster's  agent  coming  out  from 
supper,  with  his  head  tied  up.  It  occurred  to  me  that  he  had  not 
received  more  than  one-half  of  the  punishment  justly  due  him, 
and  that  now  would  be  a  good  time  to  give  him  the  balance — 
so  I  carried  the  idea  into  immediate  execution.  After  finishing 
the  job  in  good  style,  I  informed  him  that  he  could  not  stay  in 
that  town  while  I  remained  there,  and  convinced  him  that  Sheri- 
dan was  not  large  enough  to  hold  us  both  at  the  same  time ;  he 
accordingly  left  the  place  and  again  went  to  Fort  Wallace,  this 
time  reporting  to  General  Bankhead  that  I  had  driven  him  away, 
and  had  threatened  to  kill  him. 

ARRESTED  AND   THROWN   INTO  THE  GUARD-HOUSB. 

That  night  while  sleeping  at  the  Perry  House,  I  was  awakened 
by  a  tap  on  the  shoulder  and  upon  looking  up  I  was  considerably 


170  STORT  OF  THE  WILt>  WEST. 

surprised  to  seethe  room  filled  with  armed  negroes  who  had  their 
guns  all  pointed  at  me.  The  first  words  1  heard  came  from  the 
sergeant,  who  said:  — 

**Now  look  a-heah,  Massa  Bill,  ef  you  makes  a  move  we'll 
blow  you  off  de  farm,  shuahl  "  Just  then  Captain  Ezekiel  en^ 
tered  and  ordered  the  soldiers  to  stand  back. 

**  Captain,  what  does  this  mean?  *'  I  asked. 

**  I  am  sorry,  Bill,  but  1  have  been  ordered  by  General 
Bankhead  to  arrest  you  and  bring  you  to  Fort  Wallace,"  said  he. 

'*  That's  all  right,"  said  I,  *'  but  you  could  have  made  the  ar- 
rest alone,  without  having  brought  the  whole  Thirty-eighth  In- 
fantry with  you." 

**  I  know  that,  Bill,"  replied  the  Captain,  **  but  as  you've  not 
been  in  very  good  humor  for  the  last  day  or  two,  I  didn't  know 
how  you  would  act." 

I  hastily  dressed,  and  accompanied  Captain  Ezekiel  to  Fort 
Wallace,  arriving  there  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

**  Bill,  I  am  really  sorry,"  said  Captain  Ezekiel,  as  we 
alighted,  *«butl  have  orders  to  place  you  in  the  guard-house, 
and  I  must  perform  my  duty." 

**  Very  well,  Captain ;  I  don't  blame  you  a  bit,"  said  I;  and 
into  the  guard-house  I  went  as  a  prisoner  for  the  first  and  only 
time  in  my  life.  The  sergeant  of  the  guard  —  who  was  an  old 
friend  of  mine,  belonging  to  Captain  Graham's  company,  which 
was  stationed  there  at  the  time  —  did  not  put  me  into  a  cell,  but 
kindly  allowed  me  to  stay  in  his  room  and  occupy  his  bed,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  I  was  snoring  away  as  if  nothing  unusual  Iiad  oc- 
curred. 

Shortly  after  reveille  Captain  Graham  called  to  see  me.  He 
thought  it  was  a  shame  for  me  to  be  in  the  guard-house,  and  said 
that  he  would  interview  General  Bankhead  in  my  behalf  as  soon 
as  he  got  up.  The  Captain  had  a  mce  breakfast  prepared  for  me, 
and  then  departed.  At  guard-mount  I  was  not  sent  for,  con- 
trary to  my  expectations,  and  thereupon  1  had  word  conveyed  to 
Captain  Graham,  who  was  officer  of  the  day,  that  1  wanted  to 
see  General  Bankhead.     The  Captain  informed  me  that  the  Gen- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  171 

oral  absolutely  refused  to  hold  any  conversation  whatever  with 
me. 

At  this  time  there  was  no  telegraph  line  between  Fort  Wallace 
and  Fort  Lyon,  and  therefore  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  tele- 
graph to  General  Carr,  and  I  determined  to  send  a  dispatch  di- 
rect to  General  Sheridan.  I  accordingly  wrote  out  a  long  tele- 
gram informing  him  of  my  difficulty,  and  had  it  taken  to  the 
telegraph  office  for  transmission;  but  the  operator,  instead  of 
sending  it  at  once  as  he  should  have  done,  showed  it  to  General 
Bankhead,  who  tore  it  up,  and  instructed  the  operator  not  to  pay 
any  attention  to  what  I  might  say,  as  he  was  running  that  post. 
Thinking  it  very  strange  that  I  received  no  answer  during  the  day 
I  went  to  the  telegraph  office,  accompanied  by  a  guard,  and 
learned  from  the  operator  what  he  had  done. 

A    DISPUTK   OVER   A  TELEGRAM. 

•*  See  here,  my  young  friend,"  said  T,  **  this  is  a  public  tele- 
graph line,  and  I  want  my  telegram  sent,  or  there'll  be  trouble." 

I  re- wrote  my  dispatch  and  handed  it  to  him,  accompanied  with 
the  money  to  pay  for  the  transmission,  saying,  as  I  did  so: 
**  Young  man,  I  wish  that  telegram  sent  direct  to  Chicago.  You 
know  it  is  your  duty  to  send  it,  and  it  must  go." 

He  knew  very  well  that  he  was  compelled  to  transmit  the  mes- 
sage, but  before  doing  so  he  called  on  General  Bankhead  and  in- 
formed him  of  what  I  had  said,  and  told  him  that  he  would 
certainly  have  to  send  it,  for  if  he  didn*t  he  might  lose  his  posi- 
tion. The  General,  seeing  that  the  telegram  would  have  to  go, 
summoned  me  to  his  headquarters,  and  the  first  thing  he  said,  after 
I  got  into  his  presence  was :  — 

*«  If  I  let  you  go,  sir,  will  you  leave  the  post  at  once  and  not 
bother  my  agent  at  Sheridan  again?" 

«*  No,  sir  ;  "  I  replied,  "  I'll  do  nothing  of  the  kind.  I'll  re- 
main in  the  guard-house  until  I  receive  an  answer  from  General 
Sheridan." 

"  If  I  give  you  the  horse  and  mule  will  you  proceed  at  once  to 
Fort  Lyon?" 


172  STORT  OF  THE  WILD  WEST. 

**No,  sir;  I  have  some  bills  to  settle  at  Sheridan  and  some 
other  business  to  transact,"  replied  I. 

*'  Well,  sir;  will  you  at  least  agree  not  to  interfere  any  fur- 
ther with  the  quartermaster's  agent  at  Sheridan?" 

*'I  shall  not  bother  him  any  more,  sir,  as  I  have  had  all  I 
want  from  him,"  was  my  answer. 

General  Bankhead  thereupon  sent  for  Captain  Laufer  and 
ordered  him  to  turn  the  horse  and  mule  over  to  me.  In  a  few 
minutes  more  I  was  on  my  way  to  Sheridan,  and  after  settling 
my  business  there,  I  proceeded  to  Fort  Lyon,  arriving  two  days 
afterwards.  I  related  my  adventures  to  General  Carr,  Major 
Brown,  and  other  officers,  who  were  greatly  amused  thereby. 

IN  PURSUIT   OF  HORSE  THIEVES. 

"  I'm  glad  you've  come,  Bill,"  said  General  Carr,  **  as  I  have 
been  wanting  you  for  the  last  two  weeks.  While  we  have  been 
at  this  post  several  valuable  animals,  as  well  as  a  large  number 
of  government  horses  and  mules  have  been  stolen,  and  we  think 
the  thieves  are  still  in  the  vicinity  of  the  fort,  but  as  jet  we  have 
been  unable  to  discover  their  rendezvous.  I  have  had  a  party 
out  for  the  last  few  days  in  the  neighborhood  of  old  Fort  Lyon, 
and  they  have  found  fresh  tracks  down  there  and  seem  to  think 
that  the  stock  is  concealed  somewhere  in  the  timber,  along  the 
Arkansas  river.  Bill  Green,  one  of  the  scouts  who  is  just 
up  from  there,  can  perhaps  tell  you  something  more  about  the 
matter." 

Green,  who  had  been  summoned,  said  that  he  had  discovered 
fresh  trails  before  striking  the  heavy  timber  opposite  old  Fort 
Lyon,  })ut  that  in  the  tall  grass  he  could  not  follow  them.  He 
had  marked  the  place  where  he  had  last  seen  fresh  mule  tracks, 
so  that  he  could  ifind  it  again. 

*<  Now,  Cody,  you're  just  the  person  we  want,"  said  the 
General. 

'*Very  well,  I'll  get  a  fresh  mount,  and  to-morrow  I'll  go 
down  and  see  what  I  can  discover,"  said  I. 

"You  had  better  take  two  men  besides  Green,  and  a  pack  mule 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP  BUFFALO  BILL.  173 

with  eight  or  ten  days'  rations,"  suggested  the  General,  **  so 
that  if  you  find  the  trail  you  can  follow  it  up,  as  I  am  very 
anxious  to  get  back  this  stolen  property.  The  scoundrels  have 
taken  one  of  my  private  horses  and  also  Lieutenant  Forbush's 
favorite  little  black  race  mule.** 

Next  morning  I  started  out  after  the  horse- thieves,  being  ac- 
companied by  Green,  Jack  Farky  and  another  scout.  The 
mule  track,  marked  by  Green,  was  easily  found,  and  with  very 
little  difficulty  I  followed  it  for  about  two  miles  into  the  timber 
and  came  upon  a  place  where,  as  I  could  plainly  see  from  numer- 
ous signs,  quite  a  number  of  head  of  stock  had  been  tied  among 
the  trees  and  kept  for  several  days.  This  was  evidently  the 
spot  where  the  thieves  had  been  hiding  their  stolen  stock  until 
they  had  accumulated  quite  a  herd.  From  this  point  it  was  dif- 
ficult to  trail  them,  as  they  had  taken  the  stolen  animals  out  of 
the  timber  one  by  one  and  in  different  directions,  thus  showing 
that  they  were  experts  at  the  business  and  experienced  frontiers- 
men, for  no  Indian  could  have  exhibited  more  cunning  in  cover- 
ing up  a  trail  than  did  they. 

I  abandoned  the  idea  of  following  their  trail  in  this  immediate 
locality,  so  calling  my  men  together,  I  told  them  that  we  would 
ride  out  for  about  five  miles  and  make  a  complete  circuit  about 
the  place,  and  in  this  way  we  would  certainly  find  the  trail  on 
which  they  had  moved  out.  While  making  the  circuit  we  discov- 
ered the  tracks  of  twelve  animals  —  four  mules  and  eight 
horses  —  in  the  edge  of  some  sand-hills,  and  frcm  this  point  we 
had  no  trouble  in  trailing  them  down  the  Arkansas  river,  which 
they  had  crossed  at  Sand  creek,  and  then  had  gone  up  the  latter 
stream,  in  the  direction  of  Denver,  to  which  place  they  were  un- 
doubtedly bound.  When  nearing  Denver  their  trail  became  so 
obscure  that  we  at  last  lost  it ;  but  by  inquiring  of  the  settlers 
along  the  road  which  they  had  taken,  we  occasionally  heard  of 
them 

THE   THIEVES   RUN  DOWN. 

When  within  four  miles  of  Denver — -this  was  on  a  Thorsday — 
we  learned  that  the  horse-thieves  had  passed  there  two  days  be- 


174  STORY  OP  THE  WILD   WEST. 

fore.  I  came  to  the  conclusion  they  would  attempt  to  dispose  of 
the  animals  at  Denver,  and  being  aware  that  Saturday  was  the 
great  auction  day  there,  I  thought  it  best  to  remain  where  we 
were,  at  a  hotel,  and  not  go  into  the  *lly  until  that  day.  It  cer- 
tainly would  not  have  been  advisable  for  me  to  have  gone  into 
Denver  meantime,  because  I  was  well  known  there,  and  if  the 
thieves  had  learned  of  my  presence  in  the  city  they  would  at  once 
have  suspected  my  business. 

Early  Saturday  morning  we  rode  into  town  and  stabled  our 
horses  at  the  Elephant  corral.  I  secured  a  room  from  Ed.  Chase, 
overlooking  the  corral,  and  then  took  up  my  post  of  observation. 
I  did  not  have  long  to  wait,  for  a  man  whom  I  readily  recognized 
as  one  of  our  old  packers,  rode  into  the  corral  mounted  upon 
Lieutenant  Forbush's  racing  mule,  and  leading  another  govern- 
ment mule,  which  I  also  identified.  It  had  been  recently  branded, 
and  over  the  «'  U.  S. ''  was  a  plain  "  D.  B.*'  I  waited  for  the 
man's  companion  to  put  in  an  appearance,  but  he  did  not  come, 
and  my  conclusion  was  that  lie  was  secreted  outside  of  the  city 
with  the  rest  of  the  animals. 

Presently  the  black  mule  belonging  to  Forbush  was  put  up  at 
auction.  Kow,  thought  I,  is  the  time  to  do  my  work.  So,  walk- 
ing through  the  crowd,  who  were  bidding  for  the  mule,  I  ap- 
proached the  man  who  had  offered  him  for  sale.  He  recognized 
me  and  endeavored  to  escape,  but  I  seized  him  by  the  shoulder, 
saying:  *'I  guess,  my  friend,  that  you'll  have  to  go  with  me. 
If  you  make  any  resistance,  I'll  shoot  you  on  the  spot.''  He  was 
armed  with  a  pair  of  pistols,  which  I  took  away  from  him.  Then 
informing  the  auctioneer  that  I  was  a  United  States  detective,  and 
showing  him  —  as  well  as  an  inquisitive  officer  —  my  commission 
as  such,  I  told  him  to  stop  the  sale,  as  the  mule  was  stolen  prop- 
erty, and  that  I  had  arrested  the  thief,  whose  name  was  Williams. 

Farley  and  Green,  who  were  near  at  hand,  now  came  forward, 
and  together  we  took  the  prisoner  and  the  mules  three  miles  down 
the  Platte  river ;  there,  in  a  thick  bunch  of  timber,  we  all  dis- 
mounted and  made  preparations  to  hang  Williams  from  a  limb, 
if  he  did  not  tell  us  where  his  partner  was.     At  first  he  denied 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP  BUFFALO  BILL.  175 

knowing  anything  about  any  partner,  or  any  other  stock ;  but 
when  he  saw  that  we  were  in  earnest,  and  would  hang  him  at  the 
end  of  the  given  time  —  five  minutes  —  unless  he  «*  squealed,' '  he 
told  us  that  his  **  pal  '*  was  at  an  imoccupied  house  three  miles 
further  down  the  river. 

We  immediately  proceeded  to  the  spot  indicated,  and  as  we 
'came  within  sight  of  the  house  we  saw  our  stock  grazing  near  by. 
Just  as  we  rode  up  to  the  door,  another  one  of  our  old  packers, 
whom  1  recognized  as  Bill  Bevins,  stepped  to  the  front  and  I 
covered  him  instantly  with  my  riJfle  before  he  could  draw  his  re- 
volver. I  ordered  him  to  throw  up  his  hands,  and  he  obeyed 
the  command.  Green  then  disarmed  him  and  brought  him  out. 
We  looked  through  the  house  and  found  their  saddles,  pack-sad- 
dles, blankets,  overcoats,  lariats  and  two  Henry  rifles,  which  we 
took  possession  of.  The  horses  and  mules  we  tied  in  a  bunch, 
and  with  the  whole  outfit  we  returned  to  Denver,  where  we  lodged 
Williams  and  Bevins  in  jail,  in  charge  of  my  friend.  Sheriff  Ed- 
ward Cook.  The  next  day  we  took  them  out,  and  tying  each 
one  on  a  muio   we  struck  out  on  our  return  trip  to  Fort  Lyon. 

ESCAPE    OF    BEVINS. 

At  the  hotel  outside  the  city,  where  we  had  stopped  on  Thurs- 
day and  Friday,  we  v/ere  joined  by  our  man  with  the  pack-mule. 
That  night  we  camped  on  Cherry  creek,  seventeen  miles  from 
Denver.  The  weather —  it  being  in  April  —  was  cold  and  stormy, 
but  we  found  a  warm  and  cosy  camping  place  in  a  bend  of  the 
creek.  We  made  our  beds  in  a  row,  with  our  feet  towards  the 
fire.  The  prisoners  so  far  had  appeared  very  docile,  and  had 
made  no  attempt  to  escape,  and  therefore  I  did  not  think  it  nec- 
essary to  hobble  them.  We  made  them  sleep  on  the  inside,  and  it 
was  so  arranged  that  some  one  of  us  should  be  on  guard  all  the  time. 

At  about  one  o'clock  in  the  night  it  began  snowing,  while  I 
was  watching.  Shortly  before  three  o'clock.  Jack  Farley,,  who 
was  then  on  guard,  and  sitting  on  the  foot  of  the  bed,  with  his 
back  to  the  prisoners,  was  kicked  clear  into  the  fire  by  Williams, 
mxd  the  nejit  moment  Bevins,  who  had  got  hold  of  his  shoes  — 

36 


176  STORY  OF  THE  WILD  WEST. 

which  I  had  thought  were  out  of  his  reach  —  sprang  up  a^ 
jumped  over  the  fire,  and  started  on  a  run.  I  sent  a  shot  after 
him  as  soon  as  I  awoke  sufficiently  to  comprehend  what  was  tak- 
mg  place.  Williams  attempted  to  follow  him,  and  as  he  did  so 
I  whirled  around  and  knocked  him  down  with  my  revolver.  Far- 
ley by  this  time  had  gathered  himself  out  of  the  fire,  and  Green 
had  started  after  Bevins,  firing  at  him  on  the  run ;  but  the  pris- 
oner made  his  escape  into  the  brush.  In  his  flight,  unfortu- 
nately for  him,  and  luckily  for  us,  he  dropped  one  of  his  shoes. 
Leaving  Williams  in  the  charge  of  Farley  and  **  Long  Doc," 
as  we  called  the  man  with  the  pack- mule.  Green  and  myself 
struck  out  after  Bevins  as  fast  as  possible.  We  heard  him  break- 
ing through  the  brush,  but  knowing  that  it  would  be  useless  to 
follow  him  on  foot,  we  went  back  to  the  camp  and  saddled  up 
two  of  the  fastest  horses,  and  at  daylight  we  struck  out  on  his 
trail,  which  was  plainly  visible  in  the  snow.  He  had  got  an  hour 
and  a  half  the  start  of  us.  His  tracks  led  us  in  the  direction  of 
the  mountains  and  the  South  Platte  river,  and,  as  the  country 
through  which  he  was  passing  was  covered  with  prickly  pears, 
we  knew  that  he  could  not  escape  stepping  on  them  with  his  one 
bare  foot,  and  hence  we  were  likely  to  overtake  him  in  a  short 
time.  We  could  see,  however,  from  the  long  jumps  that  he  was 
taking  that  he  was  making*  excellent  time,  but  we  frequently  no- 
ticed, after  we  had  gone  some  distance,  that  the  prickly  pears  and 
stones  along  his  route  were  cutting  his  bare  foot,  as  nearly  every 
track  of  it  was  spotted  with  blood. 

AN  EXTRAORDINARY  RUN  FOR  LIBERTY. 

We  had  run  our  horses  some  twelve  miles  when  we  saw  Bevins 
crossing  a  ridge  about  two  miles  ahead.  Urging  our  horses  up 
tx)  their  utmost  speed,  we  reached  the  ridge  just  as  he  was  de- 
scending the  divide  towards  the  South  Platte,  which  stream  was 
very  deep  and  swift  at  this  point.  It  became  evident  that  if  he 
should  cross  it  ahead  of  us,  he  would  have  a  good  chance  of  mak- 
ing his  escape.  So  pushing  our  steeds  as  fast  as  possible,  we 
rapidly  gained  on  him,  and  when  withm  a  hundred  yards  of  him  1 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    0±    ^oJJ'FALO    BILL. 


177 


cried  to  Lim  to  halt  or  I  would  shoot.     Knowing  1  was  a  good 
shot,  he  stopped,  and  coolly  sitting  down  waited  till  we  came  up. 


A   HORSE- THIEF   THAT   WAS   GAME. 


"  Bevins,  you've  given  us  a  good  run,"  said  I. 

^*  Yes,"  said  he,  '^  and  if  I  had  had  fifteen  minutes  more  of  & 


178  STORY   OP   THE    WILD   WEST 

start,  and  got  across  the  Platte,  I  would  have  laughed  at  the  idea 
of  your  ever  catching  me." 

Bevins'run  was  the  most  remarkable  feat  of  the  kind  ever 
known,  either  of  a  white  man,  or  an  Indian.  A  man  who  could 
run  bare-footed  in  the  snow  eighteen  miles  through  a  prickly  pear 
patch,  was  certainly  a  'Uough  one,"  and  that's  the  kind  of  a  per- 
son Bill  Bevins  was.  Upon  looking  at  his  bleeding  foot  I  really 
felt  sorry  for  him.  He  asked  me  for  my  knife,  and  I  gave  him 
my  sharp-pointed  bowie,  with  which  he  dug  the  prickly  pear  briars 
out  of  his  foot.  I  considered  him  as  "  game  "  a  man  as  I  had 
ever  met. 

**  Bevins,  I  have  get  to  take  you  back,"  said  I,  ««  but  as  you 
can't  walk  with  that  foot,  you  can  ride  my  horse  and  I'll  foot  it." 

We  accordingly  started  back  for  our  camp,  with  Bevins  on  my 
horse,  which  was  led  either  by  Green  or  myself,  as  we  alternately 
rode  the  other  horse.  We  kept  a  close  watch  on  Bevins,  for  we 
had  ample  proof  that  he  needed  watching.  His  wounded  foot 
must  have  pained  him  terribly  but  not  a  word  of  complaint  es- 
caped him.  On  arriving  at  the  camp  we  found  Williams  bound 
as  we  had  left  him  and  he  seemed  sorry  that  we  had  captured 
Bevins. 

A  SUCCESSFUL  BREAK  IN   THE  DARK. 

After  breakfasting  we  resumed  our  journey,  and  nothing  worthy 
of  note  again  occurred  until  we  reached  the  Arkansas  river, 
where  we  found  a  vacant  cabin  and  at  once  took  possession  of  it 
for  the  night.  There  was  no  likelihood  of  Bevins  again  trying 
to  escape,  for  his  foot  had  swollen  to  an  enormous  size  and  was 
useless.  Believing  that  Williams  could  not  escape  from  the 
cabin,  we  unbound  him.  We  then  went  to  sleep,  leaving  Long 
Doc  on  guard,  the  cabin  being  comfortably  warmed  and  well 
lighted  by  the  fire.  It  was  a  dark,  stormy  night — so  dark  that 
you  could  hardly  see  your  hand  before  you.  At  about  ten  o'  clock 
Williams  asked  Long  Doc  to  allow  him  to  step  to  the  door  for  a 
moment. 

Long  Doc,  who  had  his  revolver  in  his  hand,  did  not  think  it 
necessary  to  wake  us  up,  and  believing  that  he  could  take  care  of 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF   BUFFALO   BILL. 


179 


the  prisoner,  he  granted  his  request.  Williams  thereupon  walked 
to  the  outer  edge  of  the  door,  while  Long  Doc,  revolver  in  hand, 
was  watching  him  from  the  inside.  Suddenly  Williams  made  a 
spring  to  the  right,  and  before  Doc  could  even  raise  his  revolver, 
he  had  dodged  around  the  house.  Doc  jumped  after  him,  and 
fired  just  as  he  turned  a  corner,  the  report  bringing  us  all  to  our 


ROBBING   A   STAGE    COACH. 


feet,  and  in  an 
instant  we  knew 
what  had  hap- 
pened. I  at 
once  covered 
Bevins  with  my 
revolver,  but  as 
I  saw  that  he  could  hardly  stir,  and  was  making  no  demon- 
stration, I  lowered  the  weapon.  Just  then  Doc  came  in  swear- 
ing **  a  blue  streak,"  and  announced  that  Williams  had  escaped. 
There  was  nothing  for  us  to  do  except  to  gather  our  horses 
close  to  the  cabin  and  stand  guard  over  them  for  the  rest  of  the 
night,  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  Williams  sneaking  up  and 
stealing  one  of  them.  That  was  the  last  T  ever  saw  or  heard  of 
Williams. 


180  STORY   OF  THE  WILD   WEST, 


BREAKING  UP  OF  THE   GANG. 

We  finally  got  back  to  Fort  Lyon  with  Bevins,  and  General 
Carr,  to  whom  I  Immediateiy  reported,  complimented  us  highly 
on  the  success  of  our  trip,  notwithstanding  we  had  lost  one  pris- 
oner. The  next  day  we  took  Bevins  to  Boggs'  ranch  on  Picket 
Wire  creek,  and  there  turned  him  over  to  the  civil  authorities, 
who  put  him  in  a  log  jail  to  await  his  trial.  He  was  never  tried, 
however,  for  he  soon  made  his  escape,  as  I  expected  he  would. 
I  heard  no  more  of  him  until  1872,  when  I  learned  that  he  was 
skirmishing  around  on  Laramie  plains  at  his  old  tricks.  He  sent 
word  by  the  gentleman  from  whom  I  gained  this  information, 
that  if  he  ever  met  me  again  he  would  kill  me  on  sight.  He 
was  finally  arrested  and  convicted  for  robbery,  and  was  confined 
in  the  prison  at  Laramie  City.  Again  he  made  his  escape,  and 
soon  afterwards  he  organized  a  desperate  gang  of  outlaws  who 
infested  the  country  north  of  the  Union  Pacific  railroad,  and 
when  the  stages  began  to  run  between  Cheyenne  and  Deadwood, 
in  the  Black  Hills,  they  robbed  the  coaches  and  passengers,  fre- 
quently making  large  hauls  of  plunder.  They  kept  this  up  for 
some  time,  till  finally  most  of  the  gang  were  caught,  tried,  con- 
victed and  sent  to  the  penitentiary  for  a  number  of  years.  Bill 
Bevins  and  nearly  all  of  his  gang  are  now  confined  in  the  Nebraska 
State  prison,  to  which  they  were  transferred  from  Wyoming. 


AUTOBIOGRAFHT  OF  BUFFALO  BILL. 


181 


CHAPTER    Xra. 


A  MILITARY   EXPEDITION. 


DAY  or  two  after  my  return  to  Fort 
Lyon,  the  Fifth  Cavalry  were  ordered 
to  the  Department  of  the  Platte,  and 
took  up  their  line  of  march  for  Fort  Mc- 
Pherson,  Nebraska.  We  laid  over  one  day 
at  Fort  Wallace,  to  get  supplies,  and  while 
^I^  there  I  had  occasion  to  pass  General  Bank- 
___  ':^ head's  headquarters.  His  orderly  called  to  me 
'^  ^f^  and  said  the  General  wished  to  see  me.  As  I  entered 
the  General's  oflSce  he  extended  his  hand  and  said: 
*«I  hope  you  have  no  hard  feelings  toward  me,  Cody, 
for  having  you  arrested  when  you  were  here.  I  have  just  had  a 
talk  with  General  Carr  and  Quartermaster  Hays  and  they  in- 
formed me  that  you  had  their  permission  to  ride  the  horse  and 
mule,  and  if  you  had  stated  this  fact  to  me  there  would  have 
been  no  trouble  about  the  matter  whatever." 

**  That  is  all  right.  General,"  said  I ;  **  I  will  think  no  more 
of  it.  But  I  don't  believe  that  your  quartermaster's  agent  will 
ever  again  circulate  false  stories  about  me." 

"No,"  said  the  General;  *'  he  has  not  yet  recovered  from  the 
beating  that  you  gave  him." 

From  Fort  Wallace  we  moved  down  to  Sheridan,  where  the 
command  halted  for  us  to  lay  in  a  supply  of  forage  which  was 
stored  there.  I  was  still  messing  with  Major  Brown,  with  whom 
1  went  into  the  village  to  purchase  a  supply  of  provisions  for 
our  mess;  but  unfortunately  we  were  m  too  jolly  a  mood  to  fool 
away  money  on  "  grub."  We  bought  several  articles,  however, 
and  put  them  into  the  ambulance  and  sent  them  back  to  the  camp 
with  our  cook.  The  Major  and  myself  did  not  return  until 
reveille  neict  morning.     Soon  afterwards  the  General  sounded 


182  STORY  OF  THE  WILD  WEST. 

"  boots  and  saddles,"  and  presently  the  regiment  was  on  its  way 
to  McPherson. 

It  was  very  late  before  we  went  into  camp  that  night  and  we 
were  tired  and  hungry.  Just  as  Major  Brown  was  having  his 
tent  put  up  his  cook  came  to  us  and  asked  where  the  provisions 
were  that  we  had  bought  the  day  before. 

**  Why,  did  we  not  give  them  to  you —  did  you  not  bring  them 
to  camp  in  the  ambulance?  "  asked  Major  Brown. 

**  No,  sir;  it  was  only  a  five-gallon  demijohn  of  whisky,  a  five- 
gallon  demijohn  of  brandy,  and  two  cases  of  Old  Tom-Cat  gin,*' 
said  the  cook. 

*«  The  mischief  I  *'  I  exclaimed;  **  didn't  we  spend  any  money 
on  grub  at  all  ?  " 

"No,  sir,"  replied  the  cook. 

**Well,  that  will  do  for  the  present,"  said  Major  Brown. 

It  seems  that  our  minds  had  evidently  been  running  on  a  dif- 
ferent subject  than  provisions  while  we  were  loitering  in  Sheridan, 
and  we  found  ourselves,  with  a  two  hundred  and  fifty  mile  march 
ahead  of  us,  without  anything  more  inviting  than  ordinary  army 
rations. 

At  this  juncture  Captain  Denny  came  up  and  the  Major  apolo- 
gized for  not  being  able  to  invite  him  to  take  supper  with  us ; 
but  we  did  the  next  best  thing,  and  asked  him  to  take  a  drink. 
He  remarked  that  that  was  what  he  was  looking  for,  and  when 
he  learned  of  our  being  out  of  commissary  supplies  and  that  we 
had  bought  nothing  except  whisky,  brandy  and  gin,  he  said,  joy- 
ously :  — 

**  Boys,  as  we  have  an  abundance,  you  can  eat  with  us  and  we 
will  drink  with  you." 

It  was  a  satisfactory  arrangement,  and  from  that  time  forward 
we  traded  our  liquids  for  their  solids.  When  the  rest  of  the 
officers  heard  of  what  Brown  and  I  had  done  they  all  sent  us  in- 
vitations to  dine  with  them  at  any  time.  We  returned  the  com- 
pliment by  inviting  them  to  drink  with  us  whenever  they  were 
dry.  -A  Ithough  I  would  not  advise  anybody  to  follow  our  exam- 
ple, yet  it  is  a  fact  that  we  got  more  provisions  for  our  whisky 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  183 

than  the  same  money,  which  we  paid  for  the  liquor,  would  have 
bought,  so  after  all  it  proved  a  very  profitable  investment. 

A   BIG   INDIAN    TRAIL. 

On  reaching  north  fork  of  the  Beaver  and  riding  down  the  val- 
ley towards  the  stream,  I  suddenly  discovered  a  large  fresh 
Indian  trail.  On  examination  I  found  it  to  be  scattered  all  over 
the  valley  on  both  sides  of  the  creek,  as  if  a  very  large  village 
had  recently  passed  down  that  way.  Judging  from  the  size  of 
the  trail,  I  thought  there  could  not  be  less  than  four  hundred 
lodges,  or  between  twenty-five  hundred  and  three  thousand  war- 
riors, women  and  children  in  the  band.  I  galloped  back  to  the 
command,  distant  about  three  miles,  and  reported  the  news  to 
General  Carr,  who  halted  the  regiment,  and,  after  consulting  a 
few  minutes,  ordered  me  to  select  a  ravine,  or  as  low  ground  as 
possible,  so  that  he  could  keep  the  troops  out  of  sight  until  we 
could  strike  the  creek. 

We  went  into  camp  on  the  Beaver,  and  the  General  ordered 
Lieutenant  Ward  to  take  twelve  men  and  myself  and  follow  up 
the  trail  for  several  miles,  and  find  out  how  fast  the  Indians  were 
traveling.  I  was  soon  convinced,  by  the  many  camps  they  had 
made,  that  they  were  traveling  slowly,  and  hunting  as  they  jour- 
neyed. We  went  down  the  Beaver  on  this  scout  about  twelve 
miles,  keeping  our  horses  well  concealed  under  the  banks  of 
the  creek,  so  as  not  to  be  discovered. 

At  this  point,  Lieutenant  Ward  and  myself,  leaving  our  horses 
behind  us,  crawled  to  the  top  of  a  high  knoll,  where  we  could 
have  a  good  view  for  some  miles  distant  down  the  stream.  We 
peeped  over  the  summit  of  the  hill,  and  not  over  three  miles  away 
we  could  see  a  whole  Indian  village  in  plain  sight,  and  thousands 
of  ponies  grazing  around  on  the  prairie.  Looking  over  to  our 
left  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek,  we  observed  two  or  three 
parties  of  Indians  coming  in,  loaded  down  with  buffalo  meat. 

'*  This  is  no  place  for  us.  Lieutenant,"  said  I ;  **  I  think  we 
have  important  business  at  the  camp  to  attend  to  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible.'' 


184  STORY   OF  THE  WILD  WEST. 

"  I  agree  with  you,"  said  he,  "  and  the  quicker  we  get  there 
the  better  it  will  be  for  us." 

We  quickly  descended  the  hill  and  joined  the  men  below. 
Lieutenant  Ward  hurriedly  wrote  a  note  to  General  Carr,  and 
handing  it  to  a  corporal,  ordered  him  to  make  all  possible  haste 
back  to  the  command  and  deliver  the  message.  The  man  started 
off  on  a  gallop,  and  Lieutenant  Ward  said:  '*We  will  march 
slowly  back  until  we  meet  the  troops,  as  I  think  the  Gen- 
eral will  soon  be  here,  for  he  will  start  immediately  upon  receiv- 
ing my  note." 

ATTACK  ON  THE   COURIER. 

In  a  few  minutes  we  heard  two  or  three  shots  in  the  direction 
in  which  our  dispatch  courier  had  gone,  and  soon  after  we  saw 
him  come  running  around  the  bend  of  the  creek,  pursued  by  four 
or  five  Indians.  The  Lieutenant,  with  his  squad  of  soldiers  and 
myself,  at  once  charged  upon  them,  when  they  turned  and  ran 
across  the  stream. 

**  This  will  not  do,"  said  Lieutenant  Ward,  **  the  whole  Indian 
village  will  now  know  that  soldiers  are  near  by. 

*'  Lieutenant,  give  me  that  note,  and  I  will  take  it  to  the  Gen- 
eral," said  I. 

He  gladly  handed  me  the  dispatch,  and  spurring  my  horse  I 
dashed  up  the  creek.  After  having  ridden  a  short  distance,  I 
observed  another  party  of  Indians  also  going  to  the  village  with 
meat;  but  instead  of  waiting  for  them  to  fire  upon  me,  I  gave 
them  a  shot  at  long  range.  Seeing  one  man  firing  at  them  so 
boldly,  it  surprised  them,  and  they  did  not  know  what  to  make  of 
it.  While  they  were  thus  considering,  I  got  between  them  and 
our  camp.  By  this  time  they  had  recovered  from  their  surprise, 
and,  cutting  their  buffalo  meat  loose  from  their  horses,  they 
came  after  me  at  the  top  of  their  speed;  but  as  their  steeds  were 
tired  out,  it  did  not  take  me  long  to  leave  them  far  in  the  rear. 

I  reached  the  command  in  less  than  an  hour,  delivered  the 
dispatch  to  General  Carr,  and  informed  him  of  what  I  had 
seen.  He  instantly  had  the  bugler  sound  *'  boots  and  saddles," 
and  all  the  troops  —  with  the  exception  of  two  companies  which 


liii 


Wl 


I  I 


n\ 


■  *ll  I'll' 

mim 


ifts-t 


V. 


186  STORY   OF    THE   WILD   WEST. 

we  left  to  guard  the  train  —  were  soon  galloping  in  the  direction 
of  the  Indian  camp. 

A  LIEUTENANT  IN  SHARP  QUARTERS. 

We  had  ridden  about  three  miles  when  we  met  Lieutenant 
Ward,  who  was  coming  slowly  towards  us.  He  reported  that  he 
had  run  into  a  party  of  Indian  buffalo  hunters,  and  had  killed  one 
of  the  number,  and  had  had  one  of  his  horses  wounded.  We  im- 
mediately pushed  forward  and  after  marching  about  five  miles 
came  within  sight  of  hundreds  of  mounted  Indians  advancing  up 
the  creek  to  meet  us.  Tliey  formed  a  complete  line  in  front  of 
us.  General  Carr,  being  desirous  of  striking  their  village,  or- 
dered the  troops  to  charge,  break  through  their  line,  and  keep 
straight  on.  This  movement  would,  no  doubt,  have  been  suc- 
cessfully accomplished  had  it  not  been  for  the  rattlebrained  and 
dare-devil  French  Lieutenant  Schinosky,  commanding  Company 
B,  who,  misunderstanding  General  Carr's  orders,  charged  upon 
some  Indians  at  the  left,  while  the  rest  of  the  command  dashed 
through  the  enemy's  line,  and  was  keeping  straight  on,  when  it 
was  observed  that  Schinosky  and  his  company  were  surrounded 
by  four  or  ^yq  hundred  red-skins.  The  General,  to  save  the 
company,  was  obliged  to  sound  a  halt  and  charge  back  to  the 
rescue.  The  company,  during  this  short  fight,  had  several  men 
and  quite  a  number  of  horses  killed. 

All  this  took  up  valuable  time,  and  night  was  coming  on.  The 
Indians  were  fighting  desperately  to  keep  us  from  reaching  their 
village,  which  being  informed  by  couriers  of  what  was  taking 
place,  was  packing  up  and  getting  away.  During  that  afternoon 
it  was  all  we  could  do  to  hold  our  own  in  fighting  the  mounted 
warriors,  who  were  in  our  front  and  contesting  every  inch  of  the 
ground.  The  General  had  left  word  for  our  wagon  train  to  fol- 
low up  with  its  escort  of  two  companies,  but  as  it  had  not  made 
its  appearance  he  entertained  some  fears  that  it  had  been  sur- 
rounded, and  to  prevent  the  possible  loss  of  the  supply  train  we 
had  to  go  back  and  look  for  it.  About  9  o'clock  that  evening 
we  found  it,  and  went  into  camp  for  the  night. 


188  STORY   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

Early  the  next  day  we  broke  camp  and  passed  down  the  creek 
but  there  was  not  an  Indian  to  be  seen.  They  had  all  disappeared 
and  gone  on  with  their  village.  Two  miles  further  we  came  to 
where  a  village  had  been  located,  and  here  we  found  nearly  every- 
thing belonging  or  pertaining  to  an  Indian  camp,  which  had  been 
left  in  the  great  hurry  to  get  away.  These  articles  were  all 
gathered  up  and  burned.  We  then  pushed  out  on  the  trail  as 
fast  as  possible.  It  led  us  to  the  northeast  towards  the  Kepub- 
lican;  but  as  the  Indians  had  a  night  the  start  of  us  we  enter- 
tained but  little  hope  of  overtaking  them  that  day.  Upon  reach- 
ing the  Republican  in  the  afternoon  the  General  called  a  halt,  and 
as  the  trail  was  running  more  to  the  e^ist,  he  concluded  to  send 
his  wagon  train  on  to  Fort  McPherson  by  the  most  direct  route, 
while  he  would  follow  on  the  trail  of  the  red-skins. 

Next  morning  at  daylight  we  again  pulled  out  and  were  evi- 
dently gaining  rapidly  on  the  Indians  for  we  could  occasionally 
see  them  in  the  distance.  About  11  o'clock  that  day  while  Major 
Babcock  was  ahead  of  the  main  command  with  his  company,  and 
while  we  were  crossing  a  deep  ravine,  we  were  surprised  by  about 
three  hundred  warriors  who  commenced  a  lively  fire  upon  us. 
Galloping  out  of  the  ravine  on  to  the  rough  prairie  the  men  dis- 
mounted and  returned  the  fire.  We  soon  succeeded  in  driving 
the  enemy  before  us,  and  were  so  close  upon  them  at  one  time 
that  they  abandoned  and  threw  away  nearly  all  their  lodges  and 
camp  equipages,  and  everything  that  had  any  considerable  weight. 
They  left  behind  them  their  played-out  horses,  and  for  miles  we 
could  see  Indian  furniture  strewn  along  in  every  direction.  The 
trail  became  divided,  and  the  Indians  scattered  in  small  bodies, 
all  over  the  prairie.  As  night  was  approaching  and  our  horses 
were  about  giving  out,  a  halt  was  called.  A  company  was  de- 
tailed to  collect  all  the  Indian  horses  running  loose  over  the  coun- 
try, and  to  burn  the  other  Indian  property. 

The  command  being  nearly  out  of  rations  I  was  sent  to  the 
nearest  point,  Old  Fort  Kearney,  about  sixty  miles  distant  for 
supplies 


190  STORY  OF  THE   WILD  WEST. 

RE-ENFOIiCED   BY   THE   PAWNEE    SCOUTS. 

Shortly  after  we  reached  Fort  McPherson,  which  continued  to 
be  the  headquarters  of  the  Fifth  Cavalry  for  some  time,  we 
fitted  out  for  a  new  expedition  to  the  Eepublican  river  country, 
and  were  re-enforced  by  three  companies  of  the  celebrated  Pawnee 
Indian  scouts,  commanded  by  Major  Frank  North :  his  officers 
being  Captain  Lute  North,  brother  of  the  Major,  Captain  Cush- 
ing,  his  brother-in-law.  Captain  Morse,  and  Lieutenants  Beecher, 
Matthews  and  Kislandberry.  General  Carr  recommended  at  this 
time  to  General  Augur,  who  was  in  command  of  the  Department, 
that  I  be  made  chief  of  scouts  in  the  Department  of  the  Platte, 
and  informed  me  that  in  this  position  I  would  receive  higher 
wages  than  I  had  been  getting  in  the  Department  of  the  Missouri. 
This  appointment  I  had  not  asked  for. 

I  made  the  acquaintance  of  Major  Frank  North  and  I  found 
him  and  his  officers  perfect  gentlemen,  and  we  were  all  good 
friends  from  the  very  start.  The  Pawnee  scouts  had  made  quite 
a  reputation  for  themselves  as  they  had  performed  brave  and 
valuable  services  in  fighting  against  the  Sioux,  whose  bitter 
enemies  they  were ;  being  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  Eepub- 
lican and  Beaver  country,  I  was  glad  that  they  were  to  be 
with  the  expedition,  and  my  expectation  of  the  aid  they  would 
render  was  not  disappointed. 

During  our  stay  at  Fort  McPherson  I  made  the  acquaintance 
of  Lieutenant  George  P.  Belden,  known  as  the  '*  White  Chief," 
whose  life  was  written  by  Colonel  Brisbin,  U.  S.  army.  I 
found  him  to  be  an  intelligent,  dashing  fellow,  a  splendid  rider 
and  an  excellent  shot.  An  hour  after  our  introduction  he 
challenged  me  for  a  rifle  match,  the  preliminaries  of  which  were 
soon  arranged.  We  were  to  shoot  ten  shots  each  for  fifty  dollars, 
at  two  hundred  yards,  off  hand.  Belden  was  to  use  a  Henry  rifle, 
while  I  was  to  shoot  my  old  *'  Lucretia."  This  match  I  won  and 
then  Belden  proposed  to  shoot  a  one  hundred  yard  match,  as  I 
was  shooting  over  his  distance.  In  this  match  Belden  was  vic- 
torious.   We  were  now  even,  and  we  stopped  right  there. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFrALO   BILL.  191 

A   COMICAL   SIGHT. 

While  we  were  at  this  post  General  Augur  and  several  of  his 
officers,  and  also  Thomas  Duncan,  Brevet  Brigadier  and  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel of  the  Fifth  Cavalry,  paid  us  a  visit  for  the 
purpose  of  reviewing  the  command.  The  regiment  turned  out 
in  fine  style  and  showed  themselves  to  be  well  drilled  soldiers, 
thoroughly  understanding  military  tactics.  The  Pawnee  scouts 
were  also  reviewed  and  it  was  very  amusing  to  see  them  in  their 
full  regulation  uniform.  They  had  been  furnished  a  regular 
cavalry  uniform  and  on  this  parade  some  of  them  had  their  heavy 
overcoats  on,  others  their  large  black  hats,  with  all  the  brass 
accoutrements  attached;  some  of  them  were  minus  pantaloons 
and  only  wore  a  breech-clout.  Others  wore  regulation  pantaloons 
but  no  shirts  and  were  bare  headed ;  others  againhad  the  seat 
of  the  pantaloons  cut  out,  leaving  only  leggins ;  some  of  them  wore 
brass  spurs ,  though  without  boots  or  moccasins ;  but  for  all  this  they 
seemed  to  understand  the  drill  remarkably  well  for  Indians.  The 
commands,  of  course,  were  given  to  them  in  their  own  language 
by  Major  North,  who  could  talk  it  as  well  as  any  full-blooded 
Pawnee.  The  Indians  were  well  mounted  and  felt  proud  and 
elated  because  they  had  been  made  United  States  soldiers. 
Major  North  had  for  years  complete  power  over  these  Indians  and 
could  do  more  with  them  than  any  man  living.  That  evening 
after  the  parade  was  over  the  officers  and  quite  a  number  of 
ladies  visited  a  grand  Indian  dance  given  by  the  Pawnees,  and  of 
all  the  Indians  I  have  seen  their  dances  excel  those  of  any  other 
tribe. 

BATTLE   BETWEEN   THE    SIOUX   AND   PAWNEES. 

Next  day  the  command  started;  when  encamped,  several  days 
after,  on  the  Republican  river  near  the  mouth  of  the  Beaver,  we 
heard  the  whoops  of  Indians,  followed  by  shots  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  mule  herd,  which  had  been  taken  down  to  water.  One  of 
the  herders  came  dashing  into  camp  with  an  arrow  sticking  into 
him.  My  horse  was  close  at  hand,  and,  mounting  him  bare-back, 
I  at  once  dashed  ofP  after  the  mule  herd,  which  had  been  stam- 

87 


192  STORY  OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

peded.  I  supposed  certainly  that  I  would  be  the  first  man  on 
the  ground,  but  I  was  mistaken,  however,  for  the  Pawnee  Indians, 
unlike  regular  soldiers,  had  not  waited  to  receive  orders  from 
their  officers,  but  had  jumped  on  their  ponies  without  bridles  or 
saddles,  and  placing  ropes  in  their  mouths,  had  dashed  off  in  the 
direction  whence  the  shots  had  come,  and  had  got  there  ahead  of 
me.  It  proved  to  be  a  party  of  about  fifty  Sioux,  who  had  en- 
deavored to  stampede  our  mules,  and  it  took  them  by  surprise 
to  see  their  inveterate  enemies  — the  Pawnees  —  coming  at  full 
gallop  towards  them.  They  were  not  aware  that  the  Pawnees 
were  with  the  command,  and  as  they  knew  that  it  would  take 
regular  soldiers  some  time  to  turn  out,  they  thought  they  would 
have  ample  opportunity  to  secure  the  herd  before  the  troops 
could  give  chase. 

We  had  a  running  fight  of  fifteen  miles  and  several  of  the  ene- 
my were  killed.  During  this  chase  I  was  mounted  on  an  excellent 
horse,  which  Colonel  Eoyal  had  picked  out  for  me,  and  for  the 
first  mile  or  two  I  was  in  advance  of  the  Pawnees.  Presently  a 
Pawnee  shot  by  me  like  an  arrow  and  I  could  not  help  admiring 
the  horse  that  he  was  riding.  Seeing  that  he  possessed  rare 
running  qualities,  I  determined  if  possible  to  get  possession  of 
the  animal  in  some  way.  It  was  a  large  bucksMn  or  yellow 
horse,  and  I  took  a  careful  view  of  him  so  that  I  would  know  him 
when  I  returned  to  camp. 

After  the  chase  was  over  I  rode  up  to  Major  North  and  inquired 
about  the  buckskin  horse. 

«*0h,  yes,"  said  the  Major,  "that  is  one  of  our  favorite 
steeds." 

*'  What  chance  is  there  to  trade  for  him?  "  I  asked. 

*'It  is  a  government  horse,"  said  he,  "  and  the  Indian  who  is 
riding  him  is  very  much  attached  to  the  animal."  . 

*'  I  have  fallen  in  love  with  the  horse  myself,"  said  I,  **  and  I 
would  like  to  know  if  you  have  any  objections  to  my  trading  for 
him  if  I  cai^  arrange  it  satisfactorily  with  the  Indian?  " 

He  replied:  **  None  whatever,  and  I  will  help  you  to  do  it ; you 
san  give  the  Indian  another  horse  in  his  place." 


LEADING   HAWK,   SIOUX    (UPPEE   BEULE). 
Courtesy  of  Field  Museum. 


HOLLOW   HORN,   SIOUX    (UPPER  BRULE). 
JDourtesy  of  Field  Museum. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  BUFFALO   BELL. 


193 


A  few  days  after  this,  I  persuaded  the  Indian,  by  making  him 
several  presents,  to  trade  horses  with  me,  and  in  this  way  I  be- 
came the  owner  of  the  buckskin  steed,  not  as  my  own  property, 
however,  but  as  a  government  horse  that  I  could  ride.  I  gave 
him  the  name  of  **  Buckskin  Joe  "  and  he  proved  to  be  a  second 
Brigham.  That  horse  I  rode  on  and  off  during  the  summers  of 
1869,  1870,  1871  and  1872,  and  he  was  the  horse  that  the  Grand 
Duke  Alexis  rode  on  his  buffalo  hunt. 


ATTACK   ON  THE    CABIN. 

after  I  had  left  Fort  McPherson,  Buckskin  Joe  was  condemned 
and  sold  at  public  sale,  and  was  bought  by  Dave  Perry,  at  Nortel 
Platte,  who  in  1877  presented  him  to  me,  and  I  owned  him  until 
his  death  in  1879. 

The  command  scouted  several  days  up  the  Beaver  and  Prairie 
Dog  rivers,  occasionally  having  running  fights  with  way  parties 
of  Indians,  but  did  not  succeed  in  getting  them  into  a  general 
battle.  At  the  end  of  twenty  days  we  found  ourselves  back  on 
the  Eepublican. 


194  STORY   OP  THE  WILD  WEST. 

THE   INDIANS  THINK    BETTER  OF  MB. 

Hitherto  the  Pawnees  had  not  taken  much  interest  in  me,  but 
W^hile  at  this  camp  I  gained  their  respect  and  admiration  by  show- 
ing them  how  I  killed  buffaloes.  Although  the  Pawnees  were 
excellent  buffalo  killers,  for  Indians,  I  have  never  seen  one  of 
them  who  could  kill  more  than  four  or  five  in  one  run.  A  number 
of  them  generally  surround  the  herd  and  then  dash  in  upon  them, 
and  in  this  way  each  one  kills  from  one  to  four  buffaloes.  I  had 
gone  out  in  company  with  Major  North  and  some  of  the  oflScers, 
and  saw  them  make  a  **  surround."  Twenty  of  the  Pawnees 
circled  a  herd  and  succeeded  in  killing  only  thirty-two. 

While  they  were  cutting  up  the  animals  another  herd  appeared 
in  sight.  The  Indians  were  preparing  to  surround  it,  when  I 
asked  Major  North  to  keep  them  back  and  let  me  show  them 
what  I  could  do.  He  accordingly  informed  the  Indians  of  my 
wish  and  they  readily  consented  to  let  me  have  the  opportunity. 
I  had  learned  that  Buckskin  Joe  was  an  excellent  buffalo  horse, 
and  felt  confident  that  I  would  astonish  the  natives ;  galloping  in 
among  the  buffaloes,  I  certainly  did  so  by  killing  thirty-six  in  less 
than  a  half-mile  run.  At  nearly  every  shot  I  killed  a  buffalo, 
stringing  the  dead  animals  out  on  the  prairie,  not  over  fifty  feet 
apart.  This  manner  of  killing  was  greatly  admired  by  the  In- 
dians who  called  me  a  big  chief,  and  from  that  time  on  I  stood 
high  in  their  estimation. 


AXJTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL. 


195 


CHAPTER   XV. 


A  DESPERATE  FIGHT. 

|N  leaving  camp,  the  command  took  a  west- 
ward course  up  the  Republican,  and 
Major  North  with  two  companies  of  his 
Pawnees  and  two  or  three  companies  of 
cavalry,  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
Royal,  made  a  scout  to  the  north  of  the 
river.  Shortly  after  we  had  gone  into  camp, 
on  the  Black  Tail  Deer  fork,  we  observed  a 
band  of  Indians  coming  over  the  prairie  at  full 
gallop,  singing  and  yelling  and  waving  their 
lances  and  long  poles.  At  first  we  supposed  them 
to  be  Sioux,  and  all  was  excitement  for  a  few 
moments.  We  noticed,  however,  that  our  Pawnee 
Indians  made  no  hostile  demonstrations  or  preparations  toward 
going  out  to  fight  them,  but  began  swinging  and  yelling  them- 
selves. Captain  Lute  North  stepped  up  to  General  Carr  and 
said:  **  General,  those  are  our  men  who  are  coming,  and  they 
have  had  a  fight.  That  is  the  way  they  act  when  they  come  back 
from  a  battle  and  have  taken  any  scalps." 

The  Pawnees  came  into  camp  on  the  run.  Captain  North 
calling  to  one  of  them  —  a  sergeant  —  soon  found  out  that  they 
had  run  across  a  party  of  Sioux  who  were  following  a  large  Indian 
trail.  These  Indians  had  evidently  been  in  a  fight,  for  two  or 
three  of  them  had  been  wounded  and  they  were  conveying  the 
injured  persons  on  travoix.  The  Pawnees  had  *'  jumped  "  them 
and  had  killed  three  or  four  after  a  sharp  fight,  in  which  much 
ammunition  was  expended. 

Next  morning  the  command,  at  an  early  hour,  started  out  to 
take  up  this  Indian  trail  which  they  folio  wed  for  two  days  as 
rapidly  as  possible;  it  becoming  evident  from  the  many  camp- 
fires  which  we  passed  that  we  were  gaining   on  the  Indians. 


196 


STORY   OF  THE   WILD   WEST, 


Wherever  they  had  encamped  we  found  the  print  of  a  woman'? 
shoe,  and  we  concluded  that  they  had  with  them  some  white  cap- 
tive. This  made  us  all  the  more  anxious  to  overtake  them,  ana 
General  Carr  accordingly  selected  all  his  best  horses,  which 
could  stand  a  hard  run,  and  gave  orders  for  the  wagon  train  to 
follow  as  fast  as  possible,  while  he  pushed  ahead  on  a  forced 
march.  At  the  same  time  I  was  ordered  to  pick  out  ^ve  or  six 
of  the  best  Pawnees,  and  go  on  in  advance  of  the  command, 
keeping  ten  or  twelve  miles  ahead  on  the  trail,  so  that  when  we 
overtook  the  Indians  we  could  find  out  thelocationof  their  camp, 
and  send  word  to  the  troops  before  they  came  in  sight,   thus 

affording  ample  time  to 
arrange  a  plan  for  the 
capture  of  the  village. 

After  having  gone  about 
ten  miles  in  advance  of  the 
regiment,  we  began  to 
move  very  cautiously,  as 
v/e  were  now  evidently 
nearing  rne  Indians.  We 
looked  carefully  over  the 
summits  of  the  hills  before 
exposing  ourselves  to  plain 
view,  and  at  last  we  dis- 
covered the  village,  en- 
camped in  the  sand-hills  south  of  the  South  Platte  river  at  Sum- 
mit Springs.  Here  I  left  the  Pawnee  scouts  to  keep  watch,  while 
I  went  back  and  informed  General  Carr  that  the  Indians  were  in 
sight. 

The  General  at  once  ordered  his  men  to  tighten  their  saddles 
and  otherwise  prepare  for  action.  Soon  aU  was  excitement 
among  the  officers  and  soldiers,  every  one  being  anxious  to  charge 
the  village.  I  now  changed  my  horse  for  old  Buckskin  Joe,  who 
had  been  led  for  me  thus  far,  and  was  comparatively  fresh.  Act- 
ing on  my  suggestion,  the  General  made  a  circuit  to  the  north, 
believing  that  if  the  Indians  had  their  scouts  out,  they  would 


GEN.    E.    A.    CARR. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO    BILL.  197 

Daturally  be  watching  in  the  direction  whence  they  had  come. 
When  we  had  passed  the  Indians  and  were  between  them  and 
the  Platte  river,  we  turned  toward  the  left  and  started  toward 
the  village. 

By  this  manoBuver  we  had  avoided  discovery  by  the  Siou3^ 
scouts,  and  we  were  confident  of  giving  them  a  complete  surprise. 
Keeping  the  command  wholly  out  of  sight,  until  we  were  within 
a  mile  of  the  Indians,  the  General  halted  the  advance  guard  until 
all  closed  up,  and  then  issued  an  order  that,  when  he  sounded  the 
charge,  the  whole  command  was  to  rush  into  the  village. 

A  CHARGE  THROUGH  THE  INDIAN   VILLAGE. 

As  we  halted  on  the  top  of  the  hill  overlooking  the  camp  of  the 
unsuspecting  Indians,  General  Carr  called  out  to  his  bugler: 
''Sound  the  charge!"  The  bugler  for  a  moment  became  in- 
tensely excited,  and  actually  forgot  the  notes.  The  General 
again  sang  out:  "Sound  the  charge!''  and  yet  the  bugler  was 
unable  to  obey  the  command.  Quartermaster  Hays  —  who  had 
obtained  permission  to  accompany  the  expedition  —  was  riding 
near  the  General,  and  comprehending  the  dilemma  of  the  man, 
rushed  up  to  him,  jerked  the  bugle  from  his  hands  and  sounded 
the  charge  himself  in  clear  and  distinct  notes.  As  the  troops 
rushed  forward,  he  threw  the  bugle  away,  then  drawing  his  pis- 
tols, was  among  the  first  men  that  entered  the  village. 

The  Indians  had  just  driven  up  their  horses  and  were  prepar- 
ing to  make  a  move  of  the  camp,  when  they  saw  the  soldiers 
coming  down  upon  them.  A  great  many  of  them  succeeded  in 
jumping  upon  their  ponies,  and  leaving  everything  behind  them, 
advanced  out  of  the  village  and  prepared  to  meet  the  charge ;  but 
upon  second  thought  they  quickly  concluded  that  it  was  useless 
to  try  to  check  us,  and  those  who  were  mounted  rapidly  rode 
away,  while  the  others  on  foot  fled  for  safety  to  the  neighboring 
hills.  We  went  through  their  village,  shooting  right  and  left  at 
everything  we  saw.  The  Pawnees,  the  regular  soldiers  and  offi- 
cers were  all  mixed  up  together,  and  the  Sioux  were  flying  in 
every  direction. 


ACTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  BUFFALO  BILL,  199 

The  pursuit  continued  until  darkness  made  it  impossible  to 
longer  follow  the  Indians,  who  had  scattered  and  were  leading 
off  in  every  direction  like  a  brood  of  young  quails.  The  expedi- 
tion went  into  camp  along  the  South  Platte,  much  exhausted  by 
so  long  a  chase,  and  though  very  tired,  every  trooper  seemed 
anxious  for  the  morrow. 

It  was  nearly  sunrise  when  *'  boots  and  saddles  "  was  sounded, 
breakfast  having  been  disposed  of  at  break  of  day.  The  com- 
mand started  in  a  most  seasonable  time,  but  finding  that  the  trail 
was  all  broken  up,  it  was  deemed  anvisable  to  separate  into  com- 
panies, each  to  follow  a  different  trail. 

The  company  which  I  headed  struck  out  toward  the  North- 
west over  a  route  indicating  the  march  of  about  one  hundred 
Indians,  and  followed  this  for  nearly  two  days.  At  a  short 
bend  of  the  Platte  a  new  trail  was  discovered  leading  into  the 
one  the  company  was  following,  and  at  this  point  it  was  evident 
that  a  junction  had  been  made.  Further  along  evidences  of  a  re- 
union of  the  entire  village  increased,  and  now  it  began  to  appear 
that  further  pursuit  would  be  somewhat  hazardous,  owing  to  the 
largely  increased  force  of  Indians.  But  there  were  plenty  of 
brave  men  in  the  company  and  nearly  all  were  anxious  to  meet 
the  Indians,  however  great  their  numbers  might  be.  This  anx- 
iety was  appeased  on  the  third  day,  when  a  party  of  about  six 
hundred  Sioux  was  discovered  riding  in  close  ranks  near  the 
Platte.  The  discovery  was  mutual  and  there  was  immediate 
preparation  for  battle  on  both  sides.  Owing  to  the  overwhelm- 
ing force  of  the  Indians,  extreme  caution  became  necessary,  and 
instead  of  advancing  boldly  the  soldiers  sought  advantageous 
ground.  Seeing  this,  the  Indians  became  convinced  that  there 
had  been  a  division  in  Gen.  Carr's  command  and  that  the  com- 
pany before  them  was  a  fragmentary  part  of  the  expedition; 
they  therefore  assumed  the  aggressive,  charging  us  until  we 
were  compelled  to  retire  to  a  ravine  and  act  on  the  defensive. 
The  attack  was  made  with  such  caution  that  the  soldiers  fell  back 
without  undue  haste,  and  had  ample  opportunity  to  secure  their 
horses  in  the  natural  pit,  which  was  a  ravine  that  during  wet 
seasons  formed  a  branch  of  the  Platte. 


200  STORY  OF  THE   WILD  WEST. 


CORRALLED  BY  HOSTILES. 


After  circling  about  the  soldiers  with  the  view  of  measuring 
their  fuil  strength,  the  Indians,  comprehending  how  small  was 
the  number,  made  a  desperate  charge  from  two  sides,  getting  so 
near  us  that  several  of  the  soldiers  were  badly  wounded  by  ar- 
rows.    But  the  Indians  were  received  with  such  withering  fire 
that  they  fell  back  in  confusion,  leaving  twenty  of  their  warriors 
on  the  ground.     Another  charge  resulted    like  the  first,  with 
heavy  loss  to  the  red-skins,  which  so  discouraged  them  that  they 
drew  off  and  held  a  long  council.     After  discussing  the  situation 
among  themselves  for  more  than  an  hour  they  separated,  one 
body  making  off  as  though  they  intended  to  leave,  but  I  under- 
stood their  motions  too  well  to  allow  the  soldiers  to  be  deceived. 
The  Indians  that  remained  again  began  to  ride  in  a  circle  around 
us,  but  maintained  a  safe  distance,  out  of  rifle  range.     Seeing  an 
especially  well  mounted  Indian  riding  at  the  head  of  a  squad, 
passing  aroand  in  the  same  circle  more  than  a  dozen  times,  I  de- 
cided to  take  my  chances  for  dismounting  the  chief  (as  he  proved 
to  be)  and  to  accomplish  this  purpose  I  crawled  on  my  hands  and 
knees  three  hundred  yards  up  the   ravine,  stopping  at  a  point 
which  I  considered  would  be  in  range  of  the  Indian  when  he 
should  again  make  the  circuit.     My  judgment  proved  correct,  for 
soon  the  Indian  was  seen  loping  his  pony  through  the  grass,  and 
as  he  slackened  speed  to  cross  the  ravine,  I  rose  up  and  fired, 
the  aim  being  so  well  taken  that  the  chief  tumbled  to  the  ground 
while  his  horse,  after  running  a  few  hundred  yards,  approached 
the  soldiers,  one  of  whom  ran  out  and  caught  hold  of  the  long 
lariat  attached  to  the  bridle,  and  thus  secured  the  animal.     When 
I  returned  to  the  company,  all  of  whom  had  witnessed  my  feat 
of  killing  an  Indian  at  a  range  of  fully  four  hundred  yards,  by 
general  consent  the  horse  of  my  victim  was  given  to  me. 

This  Indian  whom  I  killed  proved  to  be  Tall  Bull,  one  of  the 
most  cunning  and  able  chiefs  the  Sioux  ever  had,  and  his  '^eath 
so  affected  the  Indians  that  they  at  once  retreated  without  furthei 
attempt  to  dislodge  us. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF   BUFFALO  BILL. 


201 


Some  days  after  this  occurrence  Gen.  Carr's  command  was 
brought  together  again,  and  had  an  engagement  with  the  Sioux, 
in  which  more  than  three  hundred  warriors  and  a  large  number  of 
ponies  were  captured,  together  with  several  hundred  squaws,  among 
the  latter  being  Tall  Bull's  widow,  who  told  with  pathetic  interest 


THE  KILLING  OP  CHIEF  TALL  BULL. 

how  the  Prairie  Chief*  had  , 
killed  her  husband.     But  in-  4 
stead  of  being  moved  with  v 
hatred  against  me,  as    most  ^ 
jivilized  women  would  have 
been   under    like    circum- 
stances, she  regarded  me  with 
special  favor,  and  esteemed  it  quite  an  honor  that  her  husband, 
a  great  warrior  himself ,  should  have  met  his  death  at  my  hands. 


*  Fop  many  years  I  was  known  among  all  Northern  Indians  as  the    PralrU 
Chief. 


202  STORY   OF  THE  WILD  WEST. 

MT  MEETING  WITH  NED   BUNTLINE. 

The  expedition  having  succeeded  in  thoroughly  dispersing  and 
punishing  the  Sioux,  Gen.  Carr  went  into  barracks  at  Fort  Sedg- 
wick, but  we  had  not  remained  long  in  quarters  before  reports 
of  fresh  outbreaks  reached  us  and  we  had  therefore  to  remain  in 
constant  expectation  of  orders  for  moving. 

One  day,  while  we  were  lying  at  Fort  Sedgwick,  General  Carr 
received  a  telegram  from  Fort  McPherscn  stating  that  the  Indians 
had  made  a  dash  on  the  Union  Pacific  railroad,  derailing  a 
freight  train,  from  which  they  captured  several  bolts  of  calico 
and  other  dry  goods,  and  had  killed  several  section-men,  besides 
running  off  some  stock  near  O'Fallon's  station;  also  that  an 
expedition  was  going  out  from  Fort  McPherson  to  catch  and 
punish  the  red-skins  if  possible.  The  General  ordered  me  to 
accompany  the  expedition,  and  accordingly  that  night  I  proceeded 
by  rail  to  McPherson  station,  and  from  thence  rode  on  horseback 
to  the  fort.  Two  companies,  under  command  of  Major  Brown, 
had  been  ordered  out,  and  next  morning,  just  as  we  were  about 
to  start.  Major  Brown  said  to  me : 

**  By  the  way,  Cody,  we  are  going  to  have  quite  an  important 
character  with  us  as  a  guest  on  this  scout.  It's  old  Ned  Buntline, 
the  novelist." 

Just  then  I  noticed  a  gentleman,  who  was  rather  stoutly  built, 
and  who  wore  a  blue  military  coat,  on  the  left  breast  of  which 
were  pinned  about  twenty  gold  medals  and  badges  of  secret 
societies.  He  walked  a  little  lame  as  he  approached  us,  and  I  at 
once  concluded  that  he  was  Ned  Buntline. 

**  He  has  a  good  mark  to  shoot  at  on  the  left  breast,"  said  I  to 
Major  Brown,  **  but  he  looks  like  a  soldier."  As  he  came  up^ 
Major  Brown  said: 

**  Cody,  allow  me  to  introduce  you  to  Colonel  E.  B.  C.  Judson, 
otherwise  known  as  Ned  Buntline." 

**  Colonel  Judson,  I  am  glad  to  meet  you,"  said  I;  **  the  Major 
tells  me  that  you  are  to  accompany  us  on  the  scout." 

"  Yefih  my  boy,  so  I  am,"  said  he;  **  I  was  to  deliver  a  tern- 


:}!]  ;  I  Hi  il  J. 


204 


STORY   OF   THE   WILD    WEST. 


perance  lecture  to-night,  but  no  lectures  for  me  when  there  is  a 
prospect  for  a  fight.  The  Major  has  kindly  offered  me  a  horse, 
but  I  don't  know  how  Til  stand  the  ride,  for  I  haven't  done  any 
riding  lately  ;  but  when  I  was  a  young  man  I  spent  several  years 
among  the  fur  companies  of  the  Northwest,  and  was  a  good  rider 
and  an  excellent  shot." 

'*  The  Major  has  given  you  a  fine  horse,  and  you'll  soon  find 
yourself  at  home  in  the  saddle,"  said  I. 

The  command  soon  pulled  out  for  the  South  Platte  river, 
which  was  very  wide  and  high,  owing  to  recent  mountain  rains, 
and  in  crossing  i':  we  had  to  swim  our  horses  in  some  places. 


THE    LA.ST    OP    THE    BUFFALOES  —  GATHERING   THE   BONES. 

Buntline  was  the  first  man  across.  We  reached  O' Fallon's  at 
eleven  o'clock,  and  in  a  short  time  I  succeeded  in  finding  the  In- 
dian trail;  the  party  seemed  to  be  a  small  one,  which  had  come 
up  from  the  south.  We  followed  their  track  to  the  North  Platte, 
but  as  they  had  a  start  of  two  days.  Major  Brown  abandoned  the 
pursuit,  and  returned  to  Fort  McPherson,  while  I  went  back  to 
Fort  Sedgwick,  accompanied  by  Buntline. 

During  this  short  scout,  Buntline  had  asked  me  a  great  many 
questions,  and  he  was  determined  to  go  out  on  the  next  expeditioii 
with  me,  providing  he  could  obtain  permission  frcni  the  tx)m- 


AUTOBIOGKAPHY    OF   BUFFALO   BILL,  205 

manding  officer.  I  introduced  him  to  the  officers  —  excepting 
those  he  already  knew  —  and  invited  him  to  become  my  guest 
while  he  remained  at  the  post,  and  gave  him  my  pony  Powder 
Face  to  ride. 

HORSE  RACING   IN   THE   HOSTILE   COUNTRY. 

By  this  time  I  had  learned  that  my  horse  Tall  Bull  was  a  re- 
markably fast  runner,  and  therefore  when  Lieutenant  Mason,  who 
was  quite  a  sport  and  owned  a  racer,  challenged  me  to  a  race,  I 
immediately  accepted  it.  We  were  to  run  our  horses  a  single 
dash  of  half  a  mile  for  one  hundred  dollars  a  side.  Several  of 
the  officers,  and  also  Reub.  "Wood,  the  post-trader,  bantered  me 
for  side  bets,  and  I  took  them  all  until  I  had  put  up  my  last  cent 
on  Tall  Bull. 

The  ground  was  measured  off,  the  judges  were  selected,  and  all 
other  preliminaries  were  arranged .  We  rode  our  horses  ourselves , 
and  coming  up  to  the  score  nicely  we  let  them  go.  I  saw  from 
the  start  that  it  would  be  mere  play  to  beat  the  Lieutenant's  horse, 
and  therefore  I  held  Tall  Bull  in  check,  so  that  none  could  see 
how  fast  he  really  could  run.  I  easily  won  the  race,  and  pocketed 
a  snug  little  sum  of  money.  Of  course  everybody  was  now 
talking  horse.  iJajor  North  remarked  that  if  Tall  Bull  could 
beat  the  Pawnees'  fast  horse,  I  could  break  his  whole  command. 

The  next  day  the  troops  were  paid  ofp,  the  Pawnees  with  the 
rest,  and  for  two  or  three  days  they  did  nothing  but  run  horse- 
races, as  all  the  recently  captured  horses  had  to  be  tested  to  find 
out  the  swiftest  among  them.  Finally  the  Pawnees  wanted  to 
run  their  favorite  horse  against  Tall  Bull,  and  I  accordingly  ar- 
ranged a  race  with  them.  They  raised  three  hundred  dollars 
and  bet  it  on  their  horse,  v^hile  of  course  I  backed  Tall  Bull 
with  an  equal  amount,  and  in  addition  took  numerous  side  bets. 
The  race  was  a  single  dash  of  a  mile,  and  Tall  Bull  won  it  with- 
out any  difficulty.  I  was  ahead  on  this  race  about  seven  hun- 
dred dollars,  and  the  horse  was  fast  getting  a  reputation.  Here- 
tofore nobody  would  bet  on  him,  but  now  he  had  plenty  of 
backers. 


206  STORY   OP  THE   WILD  WEST. 


THE  TRICK   OF   POWDER-FACE. 


I  also  made  a  run  for  my  pony  Powder  Face  against  a  fast 
pony  belonging  to  Captain  Lute  North.  I  selected  a  small  boy 
living  at  the  post  to  ride  Powder  Face,  while  an  Indian  boy  was 
to  ride  the  other  pony.  The  Pawnees  as  usual  wanted  to  bet  on 
their  pony,  but  as  I  had  not  fully  ascertained  the  running  quali- 
ties of  Powder  Face,  I  did  not  care  about  risking  very  much 
money  on  him.  Had  I  known  him  as  well  then  as  I  did  after- 
wards I  woujd  have  backed  him  for  every  dollar  I  had,  for  he 
proved  to  be  one  of  the  swiftest  ponies  I  ever  saw,  and  had  evi- 
dently been  kept  as  a  racer. 

The  race  was  to  be  four  hundred  yards,  and  when  I  led  the 
pony  over  the  track  he  seemed  to  understand  what  he  was  there 
for.  North  and  I  finally  put  the  riders  on,  and  it  was  all  I  could 
do  to  hold  the  fiery  little  animal  after  the  boy  became  seated  on 
his  back.  He  jumped  around  and  made  such  quick  movements, 
that  the  boy  was  not  at  all  confident  of  being  able  to  stay  on  him. 
The  order  to  start  was  at  last  given  by  the  judges,  and  as  I 
brought  Powder  Face  up  to  the  score  and  the  word  "  go  "  was 
given,  he  jumped  away  so  quickly  that  he  left  his  rider  sitting 
on  the  ground;  notwithstanding,  he  ran  through  and  won  the  race 
without  him.  It  was  an  easy  victory,  and  after  that  I  could  get 
up  no  more  races.  Thus  passed  the  time  while  we  were  at  Fort 
Sedgwick. 

General  Carr  having  obtained  a  leave  of  absence.  Colonel 
Eoyal  was  given  the  command  of  an  expedition  that  was  ordered 
to  go  out  after  the  Indians,  and  in  a  few  days  —  after  having 
rested  a  couple  of  weeks  —  we  set  out  for  the  Republican,  having 
learned  that  there  were  plenty  of  Indians  in  that  section  of  the 
country.  At  Frenchman's  fork  we  discovered  an  Indian  village, 
but  did  not  surprise  it,  for  its  people  had  noticed  us  approach- 
ing, and  were  retreating  when  we  reached  their  camping  place. 
We  chased  them  down  the  stream,  and  they  finally  turned  to  the 
left,  went  north  and  crossed  the  South  Platte  river  five  miles 
above  Ogalalla.     We  pushed  rapidly  after  them,  following  them 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BIU  207 

across  the  North  Platte  and  on  through  the  sanC  nills  towards  the 
Niobrara,  but  as  they  were  making  much  better  time  than  we,  the 
pursuit  was  abandoned. 

AN  INTERESTING   INDIAN  TRADITION, 

While  we  were  in  the  sand  hills,  scouting  the  Niobrara  country, 
the  Pawnee  Indians  brought  into  camp,  one  nighty  s^ome  very 
large  bones,  one  of  which  a  surgeon  of  the  expedition  pro- 
nounced to  be  the  thigh  bone  of  a  human  being.  The  Indians 
claimed  that  the  bones  they  had  found  were  those  of  a  person 
belonging  to  a  race  of  people  who  a  long  time  ago  lived  in  this 
country :  That  there  was  once  a  race  of  men  on  the  earth  whose 
size  was  about  three  times  that  of  an  ordinary  man,  and  they 
were  so  swift  and  powerful  that  they  could  run  alongside  of  a 
buffalo,  and  taking  the  animal  in  one  arm  could  tear  off  a  leg  and 
eat  the  meat  as  they  walked.  These  giants  denied  the  existence 
of  a  Great  Spirit,  and  when  they  heard  the  thunder  or  saw  the 
lightning  they  laughed  at  it  and  said  they  were  greater  than 
either.  This  so  displeased  the  Great  Spirit  that  he  caused  a 
great  rain  storm  to  come,  and  the  water  kept  rising  higher  and 
higher  so  that  it  drove  those  proud  and  conceited  giants  from  the 
low  grounds  to  the  hills,  and  thence  to  the  mountains,  but  at  last 
even  the  mountain  tops  were  submerged,  and  then  those  mam- 
moth men  were  all  drowned.  After  the  flood  had  subsided,  the 
Great  Spirit  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  had  made  man  too 
large  and  powerful,  and  that  he  would  therefore  correct  the  mis- 
take by  creating  a  race  of  men  of  smaller  size  and  less  strength. 
This  is  the  reason,  say  the  Indians,  that  modern  men  are  small 
and  not  like  the  giants  of  old,  and  they  claim  that  this  story  is  a 
matter  of  Indian  history,  which  has  been  handed  down  among 
them  from  time  immemorial. 

As  we  had  no  wagons  with  us  at  the  time  this  large  and  heavy 
bone  was  found,  we  were  obliged  to  leave  it. 


208 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

80MB    PLEASING   NOVELTIES. 

EMAINING  at  Fort  Sedgwick  during  the  win- 
ter, early  in  the  following  spring  I  returned 
to  Fort  McPherson  under  orders  to  report  to 
Major-General  Emory,  of  the  Fifth  Cav- 
alry, who  had  been  appointed  commandant 
of  the  district  of  the  Republican,  with 
headquarters  at  that  post. 

As  the  command  had  been  continually 
in  the  field,  it  was  generally  thought  that 
we  were  to  have  a  long  rest;  and  it 
looked  as  if  this  post  was  to  be  my  home 
and  headquarters  for  some  time  to  come.  I  accordingly  sent  to 
St.  Louis  for  my  wife  and  daughter  to  join  me  there.  General 
Emory  promised  to  build  a  house  for  me,  but  before  the  building 
was  completed  my  family  arrived. 

During  the  fall  of  1869  there  were  two  or  three  scouting  expe- 
ditions sent  out ;  but  nothing  of  very  great  importance  was  ac- 
complished by  them*  I  found  Fort  McPherson  to  be  a  lively 
and  pleasant  post  to  be  stationed  at,  especially  as  there  was 
plenty  of  game  in  the  vicinity,  and  within  a  day's  ride  there  were 
large  herds  of  deer,  antelope  and  elk. 

During  the  winter  of  1869-70  I  spent  a  great  deal  of  time  in 
pursuit  of  game,  and  during  the  season  we  had  two  hunting  par- 
ties of  Englishmen  there;  one  party  being  that  of  Mr.  Flynn, 
and  the  other  that  of  George  Boyd  Houghton,  of  London  —  the 
well-known  caricaturist.  Among  the  amusements  which  I  ar- 
ranged for  the  party's  entertainment  were  several  horse  races, 
in  which,  however,  Tall  Bull  and  Powder  Face  were  invariably 
the  winners,  much  to  my  profit.  Tall  Bull  by  this  time  had  such 
a  reputation  as  a  running  l^orse,  that  it  was  difficult  to  make  a 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL. 


209 


race  for  him.  I  therefore  had  recourse  to  a  novel  proposition  in 
order  to  run  him  against  a  horse  in  Captain  Spaulding's  company 
cf  the  Second  Cavalry. 

This  race  was  an  interesting  affair.  I  made  a  bet  that  Tall 
Bull  would  beat  the  Second  Cavalry  horse  around  a  one  mile 
track,  and  that  during  the  time  he  was  running,  I  would  jump  off 
and  on  the  horse  eight  times.  I  rode  the  horse  bareback,  seized 
his  mane  with  my  left  hand,  rested  my  right  on  his  withers,  and 


ANTELOPE   CHASING. 

while  he  was  going  at  full  speed,  I  jumped  to  the  ground,  and 
sprang  again  upon  his  back,  eight  times  in  succession.  Such 
feats  I  had  seen  performed  in  the  circus  and  I  had  practiced  con- 
siderably at  it  with  Tall  Bull,  so  that  I  was  certain  of  winning  the 
race  in  the  manner  agreed  upon. 

IN  PURSUIT   OF    INDIAN   HORSE   THIEVES. 

Early  one  morning,  in  the  spring  of  1870,  the  Indians,  who 
had  approached  dui-ing  the  night,  stole  some  twenty-one  head 


210  STORY   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

li  horses  from  Mr.  John  Burke  —  a  government  contractor  — 
Ben  Gallagher  and  Jack  Waite.  They  also  ran  off  some  horses 
from  the  post,  among  the  number  being  my  pony  Powder  Face. 
The  commandant  at  once  ordered  out  Lieutenant  Thomas  with 
Company  I  of  the  Fifth  Cavalry,  and  directed  me  to  accompany 
them  as  trailer.  We  discovered  the  trail  after  some  little  diffi- 
culty, as  the  Indians  were  continually  trying  to  hide  it,  and  fol- 
lowed it  sixty  miles,  when  darkness  set  in. 

We  were  now  within  about  four  miles  of  Red  Willow  creek 
and  I  felt  confident  the  Indians  would  camp  that  night  in  that 
vicinity.  Advising  Lieutenant  Thomas  to  halt  his  company  and 
<*  lay  low  "  I  proceeded  on  to  the  creek,  where  moving  around 
cautiously,  I  suddenly  discovered  horses  feeding  in  a  bend  of  the 
stream  on  the  opposite  side.  I  hurried  back  to  the  troops  with 
the  information,  and  Lieutenant  Thomas  moved  his  company  to 
the  bank  of  the  creek,  with  the  intention  of  remaining  there  un- 
til daylight,  and  then,  if  possible,  surprise  the  Indians. 

Just  at  break  of  day  we  mounted  our  horses,  and  after  riding 
a  short  distance  we  ascended  a  slight  elevation,  when,  not  over 
>ne  hundred  yards  distant,  we  looked  down  into  the  Indian  camp. 
The  Indians,  preparing  to  make  an  early  start,  had  driven  up 
their  horses  and  were  in  the  act  of  mounting,  when  they  saw  us 
charging  down  upon  them.  In  a  moment  they  sprang  upon  their 
ponies  and  dashed  away-.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  creek,  which 
lay  between  us  and  them,  we  would  have  got  them  before  they 
could  have  mounted  their  horses;  but  as  it  was  rather  miry,  we 
were  unexpectedly  delayed.  The  Indians  fired  some  shots 
at  us  while  we  were  crossing,  but  as  soon  as  we  got  over  we 
went  for  them  in  hot  pursuit.  A  few  of  the  red-skins  had  not 
bad  time  to  mount  and  had  started  on  foot  down  the  creek  to- 
wards the  brush.     One  of  these  was  killed. 

TWO    INDIANS   BAGGED    AT  A  SINGLE  SHOT. 

A  number  of  our  soldiers,  who  had  been  detailed  before  the 
charge  to  gather  up  any  of  the  Indian  horses  that  might  be  stam- 
peded, succeeded  in  capturing  thirty-two.    I  hurriedly  looked 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OP  BUFFALO  BILL.  211 

over  them  to  see  if  Powder  Face  was  among  them ;  but  he  was 
not  there.  Starting  in  pursuit  of  the  fugitives  I  finally  espied 
an  Indian  mounted  on  my  favorite,  dashing  away  and  leading  all 
the  others.  We  continued  the  chase  for  two  or  three  miles, 
overtaking  a  couple  who  were  mounted  on  one  horse.  Com- 
ing up  behind  them  I  fired  my  rifle,  when  about  thirty  feet  dis- 
tant; the  ball  passed  through  the  backs  of  both,  and  they  fell 
headlong  to  the  ground;  but  I  made  no  stop  however  just  then, 
for  I  had  my  eye  on  the  gentleman  who  was  riding  Powder  Face. 
It  seemed  to  be  fun  for  him  to  run  away  from  us,  and  run  away  he 
did,  for  the  last  I  saw  of  him  was 
when  he  went  over  a  divide,  about 
three  miles  away.  I  bade  him 
adieu.  On  my  way  back  to  the 
Indian  camp  I  stopped  and  secured 
the  war  bonnets  and  accoutre- 
ments of  the  pair  I  had  killed,  and 
at  the  same  time  gently  **  raised 
their  hair." 

We  were  feeling  rather  tired  and 
hungry,  as  we  had  started  out  on  ^  ^^^^  "^^^^^^  ^^  victort. 
the  trail  thirty-six  hours  before  without  a  breakfast  or  taking 
any  food  with  us;  but  not  a  murmur  or  complaint  was  heard 
among  the  men.  In  the  abandoned  Indian  camp,  however,  we 
found  enough  dried  buffalo  meat  to  give  us  all  a  meal,  and  after 
remaining  there  for  two  hours,  to  rest  our  animals,  we  started  on 
our  return  to  Fort  McPherson,  where  we  arrived  at  night,  having 
traveled  130  miles  in  two  days. 

This  being  the  first  fight  Lieutenant  Thomas  had  ever  com- 
manded in,  he  felt  highly  elated  over  his  success,  and  hoped  that 
his  name  would  be  mentioned  in  the  special  orders  for  gallantry  ; 
sure  enough,  when  we  returned  both  he,  myself  and  the  whole 
command  received  complimentary  mention  in  a  special  order. 
This  he  certainly  deserved  for  he  was  a  brave,  energetic,  dashing 
little  officer.  The  war  bonnets  which  I  had  captured  I  turned 
over  tc  General  Carr,  with  the  request  that  he  present  them  to 


212  STORY   OF  THE   WILD    WEST. 

General  Aagur,  whose  daughters  were  visiting  at  the  post  at  the 
time. 

A  TOUGH  OFFICER 

Shortly  after  this,  another  expedition  was  organized  at  Fort 
McPherson  for  the  Kepublican  river  country.  It  was  com- 
manded by  General  Duncan,  who  was  a  jolly,  blustering  old  fel- 
low, and  the  officers  who  knew  him  well  said  that  we  would  have 
a  good  time,  as  he  was  very  fond  of  hunting.  He  was  a  good 
fighter,  and  one  of  the  officers  said  that  an  Indian  bullet  never 
could  hurt  him,  as  he  had  been  shot  in  the  head  with  a  cannon 
ball  which  had  not  injured  him  in  the  least ;  another  said  the  ball 
glanced  off  and  killed  one  of  the  toughest  mules  in  the  army. 

The  Pawnee  scouts,  who  had  been  mustered  out  of  service  dur- 
ing the  winter  of  1869  and '70  we  reorganized  to  accompany 
this  expedition.  I  was  glad  of  this,  as  I  had  become  quite  at- 
tached to  one  of  the  officers,  Major  North,  and  to  many  of  the 
Indians.  The  only  white  scout  we  had  at  the  post,  besides  my- 
self at  that  time,  was  John  Y.  Nelson,  whose  Indian  name  was 
Sha-Cha-Cha-Opoyeo,*  which  interpreted  means  Eed-Willow- 
Fill-the-Pipe.  This  man  is  a  character  in  his  way;  he  has  a 
Sioux  squaw  for  a  wife,  and  consequently  a  half-breed  family. 

We  started  out  from  the  post  with  the  regimental  band  play- 
ing the  lively  air  of  '«  The  Girl  I  Left  Behind  Me."  We  made 
but  a  short  march  that  day,  and  camped  at  night  at  the  head  of 
Fox  creek.  Next  morning  General  Duncan  sent  me  word  by  his 
orderly  that  I  was  to  bring  up  my  gun  and  shoot  at  a  mark  with 
him ;  but  I  can  assure  the  reader  that  I  did  not  feel  much  like 
shooting  anything  except  myself,  for  on  the  night  before  I  had 
returned  to  Fort  McPherson  and  spent  several  hours  in  inter- 
viewing the  sutler's  store  in  company  with  Major  Brown.  I 
looked  around  for  my  gun  and  found  that  I  had  left  it  behind. 
The  last  I  could  remember  about  it  was  that  I  had  it  at  the  sut- 
ler's store,    I  informed  Major  Brown  of  my  loss,  who  said  that 


♦  Who  Is  still  shooting  Indians  from  the  top  of  the  ol<J  Deadwooct  atage 
eoachln  the  Wild  West  show. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   BUFFALO   BILL  213 

J  was  a  nice  scout  to  start  out  without  a  gun.  I  replied  that  that 
was  not  the  worst  of  it,  as  General  Duncan  had  sent  for  me  to 
shoot  a  match  with  him,  and  I  did  not  know  what  to  do  ;  for  if 
the  old  gentleman  discovered  my  predicament,  he  would  very 
likely  severely  reprimand  me. 

*«Well,  Cody,'*  said  he,  *«the  best  you  can  do  is  to  make 
some  excuse,  and  then  go  and  borrow  a  gun  from  some  of  the 
men,  and  tell  the  General  that  you  lent  yours  to  some  man  to  go 
hunting  with  to-day.  While  we  are  waiting  here,  I  wull  send 
back  to  the  post  and  get  your  rifle  for  you."  I  succeeded  in 
obtaining  a  gun  from  John  Nelson,  and  then  marching  up  to 
the  General's  headquarters  I  shot  the  desired  match  with  him, 
which  resulted  in  his  favor. 

This  was  the  first  scout  the  Pawnees  had  been  out  on  under 
command  of  General  Duncan,  and  in  stationing  his  guards 
around  the  camp  he  posted  them  in  a  manner  entirely  different 
from  that  of  General  Carr  and  Colonel  Royal,  as  he  insisted 
that  the  different  posts  should  call  out  the  hour  of  the  night 
thus : 

THE  PAWNEE  INDIAN  ON  GUARD  DUTY. 

"  Post  No.  1,  nine  o'clock,  all  is  well  I  Post  No.  2,  nine 
o'clock,  all  is  well !  "  etc. 

The  Pawnees,  who  had  their  regular  turns  at  standing  upon 
guard,  were  ordered  to  call  the  hour  the  same  as  the  white  soldiers. 
This  was  very  difficult  for  them  to  do,  as  there  were  but  few  of 
them  who  could  express  themselves  in  English.  Major  North 
explained  to  them  that  when  the  man  on  post  next  to  them  should 
call  out  the  hour,  they  must  call  it  also  as  nearly  like  him  as 
possible.  It  was  very  amusing  to  hear  them  do  this.  They  would 
try  to  remember  what  the  other  man  had  said  on  the  post  next 
to  them.  For  instance,  a  white  soldier  would  call  out:  <«  Post 
No.  1,  half-past  nine  o'clock,  all  is  well !  "  The  Indian  standing 
next  to  him  knew  that  Ijie  was  bound  to  say  something  in  English, 
and  he  would  sing  out  something  like  the  following: 

"  Poss  number  half  pass  five  cents — go  to !  I  don't  care  ! " 

This  system  was  really  so  ridiculous  and  amusing  that  the 


214  STORY  OP  THE  WILD   WEST. 

General  had  to  give  it  up,  and  the  order  was  accordingly  connter- 
manded. 

Nothing  of  any  great  interest  occurred  on  this  march,  until  one 
day,  while  proceeding  up  Prairie  Dog  creek,*  Major  North  and 
myself  went  out  in  advance  of  the  command  several  miles  and 
killed  a  number  of  buffaloes.  Night  was  approaching,  and  I  be- 
gan to  look  around  for  a  suitable  camping  ground  for  the  com- 
mand. Major  North  di  smounted  from  his  horse  and  was  resting, 
while  I  rode  down  to  the  stream  to  see  if  there  was  plenty  of 
grass  in  the  vicinity.  I  found  an  excellent  camping  spot,  and 
returning  to  Major  North  told  him  that  I  would  ride  over  the  hill 
a  little  way,  so  that  the  advance  guard  could  see  me.  This  I  did, 
and  when  the  advance  came  in  sight  I  dismounted  and  laid  down 
upon  the  grass  to  rest. 

A  RED   HOT   SITUATION. 

Suddenly  I  heard  three  or  four  shots,  and  in  a  few  moments 
Major  North  came  dashing  up  towards  me,  pursued  by  eight  or 
ten  Indians.  I  instantly  sprang  into  my  saddle,  and  fired  a  few 
shots  at  the  Indians,  who  by  this  time  had  all  come  in  sight,  to 
^he  number  of  fifty.  We  turned  our  horses  and  ran,  the  bullets 
Jying  after  us  thick  and  fast  —  my  whip  being  shot  from  my 
nand  and  daylight  being  put  through  the  crown  of  my  hat.  We 
were  in  close  quarters,  when  suddenly  Lieutenant  Valkmar  came 
galloping  up  to  our  relief  with  several  soldiers,  and  the  Indians 
seeing  them  whirled  and  retreated.  Ak^  soon  as  Major  North  got 
in  sight  of  his  Pawnees,  he  began  riding  in  a  circle.  This  was  a 
sign  to  them  that  there  were  hostile  Indians  in  front,  and  in  a  mo- 
ment the  Pawnees  broke  ranks  pell-mell  and,  with  Major  North 
at  their  head,  started  for  the  flying  warriors.  The  rest  of  the 
command  pushed  rapidly  forward  also,  and  chased  the  enemy  for 
three  or  four  miles,  killing  three  of  them. 

But  this  was  a  wrong  move  on  our  part,  as  their  village  was  on 
Prairie  Dog  creek,  while  they  led  us  in  a  different  direction ;  one 

*  Near  the  lonely  camp  where  I  had  so  long  been  laid  up  with  a  broken  leg, 
when  trapping  years  before  with  Dave  Harrington. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO    BILL. 


215 


Indian  only  kept  straight  on  up  the  creek  —  a  messenger  to  the 
village.     Some  of  the  command  who  had  followed  him,  stirred 

up  the  village  and 
accelerated  i  t  s 
departure.  We 
finally  got  back 
to  the  main  force, 
and  then  learned 
that  we  had  made 
a  great  mistake. 
Now  commenced 
another  stern 
chase. 

The    second 

day  that  we  had 

been   following 

^  — ™«.«=«._™^-™^.>..«,^««^  ^=^  «.«uMuu     vvxx   «,  these  Indians  we 

g  j^HHHii^^^^^^^^^^^^^K^^  .  ^  V    came  upon  an  old 

squaw,  whom 
they  had  left  on 
the  prairie  to  die. 
Her  people  had 
built  for  her  a 
little  shade  or 
lodge,  and  had 
given  her  some 
provisions,  suf- 
ficient to  last  her 
on  her  trip  to  the 
Happy  Hunting 
grounds.  This 
the  Indians  often 
do  when  pursued 
by  an  enemy, 
and  one  of  their  number  becomes  too  old  and  feeble  to  travel  any 
longer.     This  squaw  was  recognized  by  John  Nelson  who  said  she 


216 


STORY    OP   THE    WILD    WEST 


was  a  relative  of  his  wife.    From  her  we  learned  that  the  flying 
Indians  were  known  as  Pawnee-Killer's  band,  and  that  they  had 


lately  killed  Buck's  surveying  party,  consisting  of  eight  or  nine 
men;  the  massacre  having  occurred  a  few  days  before  on  Beaver 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  217 

creek.  We  knew  that  they  had  had  a  fight  with  the  surveyors, 
as  Vie  found  quite  a  number  of  surveying  instruments,  which  had 
been  left  in  the  abandoned  camp.  We  drove  these  Indians 
across  the  Platte  river  and  then  returned  to  Fort  McPherson, 
bringing  the  old  squaw  with  us ;  from  there  she  was  sent  to  the 
Spotted  Tail  agency. 

During  my  absence,  my  wife  had  given  birth  to  a  son,  and  he 
was  several  weeks  old  when  I  returned.  No  name  had  yet  been 
given  to  him  and  I  selected  that  of  Elmo  Judson,  in  honor  of  Ned 
Buntline;  but  this  the  officers  and  scouts  objected  to.  Major 
Brown  proposed  that  we  should  call  him  Kit  Carson,  and  it  was 
finally  settled  that  that  should  be  his  name. 

During  the  summer  we  made  one  or  two  more  scouts  and  had 
a  few  skirmishes  with  the  Indians :  but  nothing  of  any  great  im- 
portance transpired.  In  the  fall  of  1870,  while  I  was  a  witness 
in  a  court-martial  at  Fort  D.  A.  Russell  I  woke  up  one  morning 
and  found  that  I  was  dead  broke,  —  this  is  not  an  unusual  occur- 
rence to  a  frontiersman,  or  an  author  I  may  add,  especially  when 
he  is  endeavoring  to  kill  time  —  and  to  raise  necessary  funds  I  sold 
my  race-horse  Tall  Bull  to  Lieutenant  Mason,  who  had  long 
wanted  him. 

In  the  winter  of  1870  and  1871  I  first  met  George  Watts  Gar- 
land, an  English  gentleman,  and  a  great  hunter,  whom  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  guiding  on  several  hunts  and  with  whom  I  spent  some 
weeks.  During  the  winter  I  also  took  several  parties  out  on  the 
Loupe  river  country  hunting  and  trapping.  Although  I  was 
still  chief  of  scouts  I  did  not  have  much  to  do,  as  the  Indians 
were  comparatively  quiet,  thus  giving  me  plenty  of  time  for 
sporting. 

In  the  spring  of  1871  several  short  scouting  expeditions  were 
sent  out  from  Fort  McPherson,  but  all  v/ith  minor  results. 

APPOINTED  JUSTICE  OF    THE  PEACE. 

About  this  time  General  Emory  was  considerably  annoyed  by 
petty  offenses  committed  in  the  vicinity  of  the  post,  and  as  there 
was  no  justice  of  the  peace  in  the  neighborhood,  he  was  anxious 


218  STORY   OP   THE   WILD   WEST. 

to  have  such  an  officer  there  to  attend  to  the  civilians ;  one  day 
he  remarked  to  me  that  I  would  make  an  excellent  justice. 

"  General,  you  compliment  me  rather  too  highly,  for  I  don't 
know  any  more  about  law  than  a  government  mule  does  about 
book-keeping/'  said  I. 

**That  doesn't  make  any  difference,"  said  he,  "for  I  know 
that  you  will  make  a  good  'Squire."  He  accordingly  had  the 
county  commissioners  appoint  me  to  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  I  soon  received  my  commission. 

One  morning  a  man  came  rushing  up  to  my  house  and  stated 
that  he  wanted  to  get  out  a  writ  of  replevin,  to  recover  posses- 
sion of  a  horse  which  a  stranger  was  taking  out  of  the  country. 
I  had  no  blank  forms,  and  had  not  yet  received  the  statutes  of 
Nebraska  to  copy  from,  so  I  asked  the  man: 

"  Where  is  the  fellow  who  has  got  your  horse  ?  " 

<«  He  is  going  up  the  road,  and  is  about  two  miles  way,"  re- 
plied he. 

*'  Very  well,"  said  I,  **  I  will  get  the  writ  ready  in  a  minute 
or  two."  I  saddled  up  my  horse,  and  then  taking  my  old  re- 
liable gun,  *'  Lucretia,"  I  said  to  the  man:  "  That's  the  best  writ 
of  replevin  that  I  can  think  of  ;  come  along,  and  we'll  get  that 
horse,  or  know  the  reason  why."  We  soon  overtook  the  stranger, 
who  was  driving  a  herd  of  horses,  and  as  we  came  up  to  him, 
I  said:  "Hello,  sir;  I  am  an  officer,  and  have  an  attachment 
for  that  horse,"  and  at  the  same  time  I  pointed  out  the  animal. 

**  Well,  sir,  what  are  you  going  to  do  about  it?  "  he  inquired. 

"I  propose  to  take  you  and  the  horse  back  to  the  post," 
said  I. 

"You  can  take  the  horse,"  said  he,  "  but  I  haven't  the  time 
to  return  with  you. ' ' 

"  You'll  have  to  take  the  time,  or  pay  the  cost  here  and  now," 
said  I. 

"  How  much  are  the  costs?  " 

"Twenty  dollars." 

"  Here's  your  money,"  said  he,  as  he  handed  me  the  green- 
backs. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHr  OF  BUFTALO  BILL.  219 

I  then  gave  him  a  little  friendly  advice  and  told  him  that  ha 
was  released  from  custody.  He  went  on  his  way  a  wiser  and  a 
poorer  man,  while  the  owner  of  the  horse  and  myself  returned 
to  the  fort.  I  pocketed  the  twenty  dollars,  of  course.  Some 
people  might  think  it  was  not  a  square  way  of  doing  business, 
but  I  didn't  know  any  better  just  then.  I  had  several  little  cases 
of  this  kind,  and  I  became  better  posted  on  the  law  in  the  course 
of  time,  being  assisted  by  Lieutenant  Burr  lleilly,  of  the  Fifth 
Cavalry,  who  had  been  educated  for  a  lawyer. 

PERFOKMING  A  MARRIAGE  CEREMONY. 

One  evening  I  was  called  upon  to  perform  a  marriage  cere- 
mony. The  bridegroom  was  one  of  the  sergeants  of  the  post 
I  had  "  braced  up  "  for  the  occasion  by  imbibing  rather  freelj 
of  stimulants,  and  when  I  arrived  at  thh  house  with  a  copy  of  the 
Statutes  of  Nebraska,  which  I  had  recently  received,  I  felt  some- 
what confused.  Whether  my  bewilderment  was  owing  to  the 
importance  of  the  occasion  and  the  large  assembly,  or  to  the 
effect  of  Louis  Woodin's  '*  tanglefoot,"  I  cannot  now  distinctly 
remember  —  but  my  suspicions  have  always  been  that  it  was  due 
to  the  latter  cause.  I  looked  carefully  through  the  statutes  to 
find  the  marriage  ceremony,  but  my  efforts  were  unsuccessful . 
Finally  the  time  came  for  the  knot  to  be  tied.  I  told  the  couple 
to  stand  up  and  then  I  said  to  the  bridegroom:  **  Do  you 
take  this  woman  to  be  your  lawful  wedded  wife,  to  support  and 
love  her  through  life?** 

'*  I  do,"  was  the  reply. 

Then  addressing  myself  to  the  bride,  I  said:  **  Do  you  take 
this  man  to  be  your  lawful  wedder*  b'lsband  thrcvigh  life,  to  love, 
honor  and  obey  him  ?  " 

•*  I  do,"  was  her  response. 

*  *  Then  join  hands,  *  *  said  I  to  both  of  them  5  * « I  now  pronounce 
you  to  be  man  and  wife,  and  whomsoever  God  and  Buffalo  Bill 
have  joined  together  let  no  man  put  asunder.  May  you  live  long 
and  prosper.    Amen.** 

This  concluded  the  interesting  ceremony,  which  was  followed 


220 


STORr  OF   THE   WILD    WEST 


by  the  usual  festirities  on  such  occasions.  I  was  highly  com- 
plimented for  the  elegant  and  eloquent  manner  in  which  I  had 
tied  the  matrimonial  knot. 

Durii.g  the  summer  of  1871,  Professor  Marsh,  of  Yale  College, 
came  out  to  MoPherson  with  a  large  party  of  students  to  have 
a  hunt  and  to  look  for  fossils.  Professor  Marsh  had  heard  of 
the  big  bone  which  had  been  found  by  the  Pawnees  in  the  Nio- 
brara country,  and  he  intended  to  look  for  that  as  well  as  other 
bones.  He 
accord- 
ingly  se- 
cured the 
s  e  r  V  i  ces 
of  Major 
F.  North 
a  nd  the 
Pawnees 
as  an 
escoi-t.  I 
was  also 
to  a  c  - 
company 
the  bone- 
hunters, 
and  would 

have  done  performing  a  marriage  ceremony. 

so  had  it  not  been  for  the  fact  that  just  at  that  time  I  was  ordered 
out  with  a  small  scouting  party  to  go  after  some  Indians. 

A   RUN   FOR   OUR   LIVES. 

The  day  before  the  Professor  arrived  at  the  fort  I  had  been 
out  hunting  on  the  north  side  of  the  North  Platte  river,  near 
Pawnee  Springs,  with  several  companions,  when  we  were  sud- 
denly attacked  by  Indians,  who  wounded  one  of  our  number, 
John  Weister.  We  stood  the  Indians  off  for  a  little  while,  and 
Weister  got  even  with  them  by   killing   one  of  their  party. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  221 

The  Indians,  .however,  outnumbered  us,  and  at  last  we  were 
forced  to  make  a  run  for  our  lives.  In  this  we  succeeded  and 
reached  the  fort  in  safety.  The  General  wanted  to  have  the 
Indians  pursued  and  said  he  could  not  spare  me  to  accompany 
Professor  Marsh. 

However,  I  had  the  opportunity  to  make  the  acquaintance  of 
the  eminent  Professor,  whom  I  found  to  be  not  only  a  well- 
posted  person,  but  a  very  entertainmg  gentleman.  He  gave  me 
a  geological  history  of  the  country,  told  me  in  what  section  fos- 
sils were  to  be  found,  and  otherwise  entertained  me  with  several 
scientific  yarns,  some  of  which  seemed  too  complicated  and  too 
mysterious  to  be  believed  by  an  ordinary  man  like  myself;  but 
it  was  all  clear  to  him.  I  rode  out  with  him  several  miles,  as  he 
was  starting  on  his  bone-huntmg  expedition,  and  I  greatly  en- 
joyed the  trip.  His  party  had  been  provided  with  government 
transportation  and  his  students  were  all  mounted  on  government 
horses.  As  we  rode  along  he  delivered  a  scientific  lecture  and  he 
convinced  me  that  he  knew  what  he  was  talking  about.  I  finally 
bade  him  good-bye  and  returned  to  the  post.  While  the  fossil- 
hunters  were  out  on  their  expedition  we  had  several  lively  little 
skirmishes  with  the  Indians.  After  having  been  absent  some 
little  time  Professor  Marsh  and  his  party  came  back  with  their 
wagons  loaded  down  with  all  kinds  of  bones  and  the  Professor 
was  in  his  glory.  He  had  evidently  struck  a  bone-yard,  and 
"  gad  I  'V*  wasn't  he  happy !  But  they  had  failed  to  find  the  big 
bone  which  the  Pawnees  had  unearthed  the  year  before. 

*  A  favorite  expression  of  tiie  Professor's. 


i222 


STORY  OF  THE  WILD   WEST. 


CHAPTER    XVn. 


HELPING  TO   ENTERTAIN   A  DISTINGUISHED  PARTT, 

i 

OST   Mcpherson  was  in  the  center 
of    a    fine    game    country,    in    which 
buffalo  were  particularly  plentiful,  and 
though  fairly  surrounded  by  hostile  In- 
dians, it  offered  so  many  attractions  for 
sportsmen  that  several  hunting  parties 
braved  the  dangers  for  the  pleasure  of 
buffalo-chasing.     In  September,  1871,  General 
Sheridan  brought  a  number  of  friends  out  to  the 
post  for  a  grand  hunt,  coming  by  way  of  North 
Platte  in  a  special  car,  and  thence  by  govern- 
*  ment    wagons  to  the    fort,    which    was    only 
eighteen  miles  from  that  station. 

The  party  consisted  of  General  Sheridan,  Law- 
rence R.  Jerome,  James  Gordon  Bennett,  of  the 
.'"^^^  New  York  Herald;  Leonard  W.  Jerome,  Carroll 
C.J^  "  Livingston,  Major  J.  G.  Hecksher,  General  Fitz- 
/hT^  hugh,  General  H.  E.  Davies,   Captain  M.  Edward 

Rogers,  Colonel  J.  Schuyler  Crosby,  Samuel  John- 
son, General  Anson  Stager,  of  the  Western  Union  Telegraph 
Company;  Charles  Wilson,  editor  of  the  Chicago  Evening  Jow- 
nal;  General  Rucker,  Quartermaster-General,  and  Dr.  Asch — ■ 
the  two  last  named  being  of  General  Sheridan's  staff.  They 
were  met  at  the  station  by  General  Emory  and  Major  Brown, 
with  a  cavalry  company  as  escort  and  a  sufficient  number  of 
vehicles  to  carry  the  distinguished  visitors  and  their  baggage. 

A  brisk  drive  of  less  than  two  hours  over  a  hard  and  smooth 
road  brought  them  to  the  fort,  where  they  found  the  garrison, 
consisting  of  five  companies  of  the  Fifth  Cavalry,  under  the 
command  of  General  Carr,  out  on  parade  awaiting  their  arrival. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  223 

The  band  played  some  martial  music,  and  the  cavalry  passed 
very  handsomely  in  review  before  General  Sheridan.  The  guests 
were  then  most  hospitably  received,  and  assigned  to  comfortable 
quarters. 

Lieutenant  Hayes,  the  quartermaster  of  the  expedition,  ar- 
ranged everything  for  the  comfort  of  the  party.  One  hundred 
cavalry  under  command  of  Major  Brown  were  detailed  as  an 
escort.  A  train  of  sixteen  wagons  was  provided  to  carry  the 
baggage,  supplies,  and  forage  for  the  trip;  and,  besides  these, 
there  were  three  four-horse  ambulances  in  which  the  guns  were 
carried,  and  in  which  members  of  the  party  who  became  weary 
of  the  saddle  might  ride  and  rest.  At  General  Sheridan's  re- 
quest I  was  to  accompany  the  expedition ;  he  introduced  me  to 
all  his  friends,  and  gave  me  a  good  send-off. 

During  the  afternoon  and  evening  the  gentlemen  were  all  en- 
tertained at  the  post  in  a  variety  of  ways,  including  dinner  and 
supper  parties,  and  music  and  dancing;  at  a  late  hour  they  re- 
tired to  rest  in  their  tents  at  the  camp  which  they  occupied  out- 
side the  post  —  named  Camp  Rucker,  in  honor  of  General 
Rucker. 

PUTTING   ON   A   LITTLE    STYLE   FOR   THE   OCCASION. 

At  five  o'clock  next  morning  a  cavalry  bugle  sounded  the 
reveille,  and  soon  all  were  astir  in  the  camp,  preparatory  to  pull- 
ing out  for  the  first  day's  march.  I  rose  fresh  and  eager  for  the 
trip,  and  as  it  was  a  nobby  and  high-toned  outfit  which  I  was  to 
accompany,  I  determined  to  put  on  a  little  style  myself.  •  So  I 
dressed  in  a  new  suit  of  light  buckskin,  trimmed  along  the  seams 
with  fringes  of  the  same  material ;  and  I  put  on  a  crimson  shirt 
handsomely  ornamented  on  the  bosom,  while  on  my  head  I  wore 
a  broad  sombrero.  Then  mounting  a  snowy  white  horse  —  a  gal- 
lant stepper  —  I  rode  down  from  the  fort  to  the  camp,  rifle  in 
hand.     I  felt  first-rate  that  morning,  and  looked  well. 

The  expedition  was  soon  under  way.  Our  road  for  ten  miles 
wound  through  a  wooded  ravine  called  Cottonwood  canon,  inter- 
secting the  high  ground,  or  divide,  as  it  is  called,  between  the 


224  STORY  OF  THE   WILD   WEST, 

Platte  and  Eepublican  rivers.  Upon  emerging  from  the  canon 
we  found  ourselves  upon  the  plains.  First  in  the  line  rode  Gen- 
eral Sheridan,  followed  by  his  guests,  and  then  the  orderlies. 
Then  came  the  ambulances,  in  one  of  which  were  carried  ^ve 
greyhounds,  brought  along  to  course  the  antelope  and  rabbit. 
With  the  ambulances  marched  a  pair  of  Indian  ponies  belonging 
to  Lieutenant  Hayes  —  captured  during  some  Indian  fight  —  and 
harnessed  to  a  light  wagon,  which  General  Sheridan  occasionally 
used.  These  little  horses,  but  thirteen  hands  high,  showed  more 
vigor  and  endurance  than  any  other  of  the  animals  we  had  with 
us.  Following  the  ambulances  came  the  main  body  of  the  escort 
and  the  supply  wagons. 

We  marched  seventeen  miles  the  first  day,  and  went  into  camp 
on  Fox  creek,  a  tributary  of  the  Republican.  No  hunting  had 
as  yet  been  done;  but  I  informed  the  gentlemen  of  the  party 
that  we  would  strike  the  buffalo  country  the  next  day.  A  hun- 
dred or  more  questions  were  then  asked  me  by  this  one  and  that 
one,  and  the  whole  evening  was  spent  principally  in  buffalo  talk, 
sandwiched  w^ith  stories  of  the  plains  —  both  of  war  and  of  the 
chase.  Several  of  the  party,  who  were  good  vocalists,  gave  us 
some  excellent  music.  We  closed  the  evening  by  christening  the 
camp,  naming  it  Camp  Brown,  in  honor  of  the  gallant  officer,  in 
command  of  the  escort. 

At  three  o'clock  next  morning  the  bugle  called  us  to  an  early 
start.  We  had  breakfast  at  half -past  four,  and  at  six  were  in 
the  saddle.  All  were  eager  to  see  and  shoot  the  buffaloes, 
which  I  assured  them  we  would  certainly  meet  during  the  day. 
After  marching  five  miles,  the  advance  guard,  of  which  I  had 
the  command,  discovered  six  buffaloes  grazing  at  a  distance  of 
about  two  miles  from  us.  We  returned  to  the  hunters  with  this 
information,  and  they  at  once  consulted  with  me  as  to  the  best 
•yay  to  attack  the  **  enemy.*' 

AN  ATTACK   ON  THE    BUFFALOEP* 

Acting  upon  my  suggestions,  Fitzhugh,  Crosby,  Lawrence 
J«rome,  Livingston,  Hecksher  and  Rogers,  accompanied  by  my- 


SITTING   BULL,    OR    TATANKA   YOTANKA, 

RENOWNED  SIOUX  CHIEF  AND  MEDICINE  MAN. 
Photo  by  D.  F.  Barry. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO   BILL. 


225 


self  as  guide,  rode  through  a  convenient  canon  to  a  point  beyond 
the  buffaloes,  so  that  we  were  to  the  windward  of  the  animals. 
The  rest  of  the  party  made  a  detour  of  nearly  ^ye  miles,  keep- 
ing behind  the  crest  of  a  hill.  We  charged  down  upon  the  buf- 
faloes at  full  gallop,  and  just  then  the  other  party  emerged 
from  their  concealment  and  witnessed  the  exciting  chase.  The 
buffaloes  started  off  in  a  line,  single  file.  Fitzhugh,  after  a 
lively  gallop,  led  us  all  and  soon  came  alongside  the  rear  buffalo, 
at  which  he  fired.  The  ani- 
mal faltered,  and  then  with 
another  shot  Fitzhugh  brought 
him  to  the  ground.  Crosby 
dashed  by  him  and  leveled  an- 
other of  the  herd,  while 
Livingston  dropped  a  third. 
Those  who  were  not  directly 
engaged  in  the  hunt  now  came 
7ip  and  congratulated  the  men 
upon  their  success,  and  Fitz- 
hugh was  at  once  hailed  as  the 
winner  of  the  buffalo-cup, 
while  all  sympathized  with* 
Hecksher,  whose  chance  had 
been  the  best  at  the  start,  but 
who  lost  by  reason  of  his 
horse  falling  and  rolling  over 
him. 

The  hunt  being  over,  the  column  moved  forward  on  its  march, 
passing  through  a  prairie-dog  town,  several  miles  in  extent. 
These  animals  are  found  throughout  the  plains,  living  together 
in  a  sort  of  society ;  their  numberless  burrows  in  their  **  towns '' 
adjoin  each  other,  so  that  great  care  is  necessary  in  riding 
through  these  places,  as  the  ground  is  so  undermined  as  often  to 
fall  in  under  the  weight  of  a  horse.  Around  the  entrance  to 
their  holes  the  ground  is  piled  up  almost  a  foot  high ;  on  these 
little  elevations  the  prairie-dogs  sit  upon  their  hind  legs,  chatter- 


A   PRAIRIE-DOG   VILLAGE. 


226  STORY   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

ing  to  each  other  and  observing  whatever  passes  on  the  plains. 
They  will  permit  a  person  to  approach  quite  near,  but  when  they 
have  viewed  him  closely,  they  dive  into  their  dens  with  wonder- 
ful quickness.  They  are  difficult  to  kill,  and  if  hit  generally 
succeed  in  crawling  underground  before  they  can  be  captured. 
Rattlesnakes  and  small  owls  are  generally  found  in  great  num- 
bers in  the  prairie-dog  towns,  and  live  in  the  same  holes  with 
the  dogs  on  friendly  terms.  A  few  of  the  prairie  dogs  were 
killed,  and  were  found  to  be  very  palatable  eating. 

A  short  distance  beyond  the  dog  town  we  discovered  a  settle- 
ment of  five  white  men,  who  proved  to  be  the  Clifford  brothers, 
Arthur  Ruff,  Dick  Seymour  and  John  Nelson  —  the  latter  already 
referred  to  in  these  pages.  Each  of  them  had  a  squaw  wife  and 
numerous  half-breed  children,  living  in  tents  of  buffalo  skins. 
They  owned  a  herd  of  horses  and  mules  and  a  few  cattle,  and 
had  cultivated  a  small  piece  of  land.  Their  principal  occupation 
was  hunting,  and  they  had  a  large  number  of  buffalo  hides,  which 
they  had  tanned  in  the  Indian  manner. 

Upon  reaching  Pleasant  Valley,  on  Medicine  creek,  our  party 
divided  into  two  detachments  —  one  hunting  along  the  bank  of  the 
stream  for  elk  or  deer,  and  the  other  remaining  with  the  main 
body  of  the  escort.  The  elk  hunters  met  with  no  success  what- 
ever, but  the  others  ran  across  plenty  of  buffaloes,  and  nearly 
everybody  killed  one  or  more  before  the  day  was  over.  Law- 
rence Jerome  made  an  excellent  shot;  while  riding  in  an  ambu- 
lance he  killed  a  buffalo  which  attempted  to  cross  the  line  of 
march.  About  four  o'clock  p.  m.,  we  arrived  at  Mitchell's  fork 
of  the  Medicine,  having  traveled  thirty-five  miles  during  that  day, 
and  there  we  went  into  camp  —  calling  it  Camp  Jack  Hayes,  in 
honor  of  Lieutenant  Hayes. 

On  the  next  morning,  the  25th,  we  moved  out  of  camp  at 
eight  o'clock.  The  party  was  very  successful  through  the  day  in 
securing  game,  Hecksher,  Fitzhugh,  Livingston  and  Lieutenant 
Hayes,  and  in  fact  all,  doing  good  shooting. 

Lawrence  Jerome  persuaded  me  to  let  him  ride  Buckskin  Joe, 
the  best  buffalo  horse  in  the  whole  outfit,  and  on  his  back  he  did 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  227 

wonders  among  the  buffaloes.  Leonard  Jerome,  Bennett  and 
Rogers  also  were  very  successful  in  buffalo  hunting.  Our  camp 
of  this  night  was  named'  Camp  Asch  to  commemorate  our  sur- 
geon, Dr.  Asch.  The  evening  was  pleasantly  spent  around  the 
camp  fires  in  relating  the  adventures  of  the  day. 

LEONARD   JER03IE's    PREDICAMENT. 

Upon  crossing  the  Republican  river  on  the  morning  of  the 
26th,  we  came  upon  an  immense  number  of  buffaloes  scattered 
over  the  country  in  every  direction,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach, 
and  all  had  an  opportunity  to  do  as  much  hunting  as  they  wished. 
The  wagons  and  troops  moved  slowly  along  in  the  direction  of 
the  next  camp,  while  the  hunters  went  off  separately,  or  by  twos 
and  threes,  in  different  directions,  and  all  were  rewarded  with 
abundant  success.  Lawrence  Jerome,  however,  had  his  career 
suddenly  checked.  He' had  dismounted  to  make  a  steady  and 
careful  shot,  and  thoughtlessly  let  go  of  the  bridle.  The  buffalo 
failing  to  take  a  tumble,  as  he  ought  to  have  done,  started  off  at 
a  lively  gait,  followed  by  Buckskin  Joe,  the  horse  being  de- 
termined to  do  some  hunting  on  his  own  account ;  the  last  seen 
of  him,  he  was  a  little  ahead  of  the  buffalo,  and  gaining  slightly, 
leaving  his  late  rider  to  his  own  reflections  and  the  prospect  of  a 
tramp ;  his  desolate  condition  was  soon  discovered  and  another 
horse,  warranted  not  to  run  under  any  provocation,  was  sent  to 
him.  It  may  be  stated  here  that  three  days  afterwards,  as  I 
subsequently  learned,  Buckskin  Joe,  all  saddled  and  bridled, 
turned  up  at  Fort  McPherson. 

We  pitched  our  tents  for  the  night  in  a  charming  spot  on  the 
bank  of  Beaver  creek.  The  game  was  so  abundant  that  we  re- 
mained there  one  day.  This  stopping  place  was  called  Camp 
Cody,  in  honor  of  the  reader's  humble  servant.  The  next  day 
was  spent  in  hunting  jack-rabbits,  coyotes,  elks,  antelopes  and 
wild  turkeys,  and  in  the  afternoon  we  sat  down  to  the  finest  din- 
ner ever  spread  on  the  plains. 

CHARGED  WITH  A  HEINOUS  OFFENSE. 

In  the  evening  a  court-martial  was  held,  at  which  I  presided 
as  chief  justice.     We  tried  one  of  the  gentlemen  for  aiding  and 


228  STORY   OF  THE   WILD  WEST. 

abetting  in  the  loss  of  a  government  horse,  and  for  having 
something  to  do  with  the  mysterious  disappearance  of  a  Colt's 
pistol.  He  was  charged  also  with  snoring  in  a  manner  that  was 
regarded  as  fiendish,  and  with  committing  a  variety  of  other  less 
offenses  too  numerous  to  mention. 

The  accused  made  a  feeble  defense  as  to  the  pistol,  and 
claimed  that  instead  of  losing  a  government  horse,  the  fact  was 
that  the  horse  had  lost  him.  His  statements  were  all  regarded 
as  *' too  thin,"  and  finally  failing  to  prove  good  character,  he 
confessed  all,  and  threw  himself  upon  the  mercy  of  the  court. 
The  culprit  was  Lawrence  Jerome. 

As  chief  justice  I  delivered  the  opinion  of  the  court,  which 
my  modesty  does  not  prevent  me  from  saying  was  done  in  an 
able  and  dignified  manner ;  as  an  act  of  clemency  I  suspended 
judgment  for  the  time  being,  remarking  that  while  the  camp- 
fire  held  out  to  burn,  the  vilest  sinner  might  return;  and  in  hope 
of  the  accused's  amendment,  I  would  defer  pronouncing  sen- 
tence. The  trial  afforded  us  considerable  amusement,  and  gave 
me  a  splendid  opportunity  to  display  the  legal  knowledge  which 
I  had  acquired  while  acting  as  justice  of  the  peace  at  Fort  Mc- 
Pherson. 

On  the  morning  of  the  28th  the  command  crossed  the  South 
Beaver,  distant  nine  miles  from  Camp  Cody,  and  then  striking  a 
fair  road  we  made  a  rapid  march  until  we  reached  our  camp  en 
Short  Nose  or  Prairie  Dog  creek,  about  2  p.  m.,  after  having 
made  twenty-four  miles.  The  remainder  of  the  afternoon  was 
spent  in  hunting  buffaloes  and  turkeys.  Camp  Stager  was  the 
name  given  to  this  place,  in  honor  of  General  Stager,  of  the 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Company. 

STILL  PURSUING  THE  ENEMT. 

The  next  day  we  made  a  march  of  twenty-four  miles,  and 
then  halted  at  about  1  p.  m.  on  the  North  Solomon  river.  This 
day  we  killed  three  buffaloes,  two  antelopes,  two  raccoons,  and 
three  teal  ducks.  Near  our  camp,  which  we  named  Camp  Leo- 
nard Jerome,  was  a  beaver  dam  some  six  feet  high  and  twenty 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  BUFFALO   BILL.  229 

yards  wide ;  it  was  near  the  junction  of  two  streams,  and  formed 
a  pond  of  at  least  four  acres. 

On  the  30th  we  traveled  twenty-five  miles,  and  during  the 
march  nine  turkeys,  two  rabbits,  and  three  or  four  buffaloes 
were  killed.  We  went  into  camp  on  the  bank  of  the  South 
fork  of  the  Solomon  river,  and  called  the  place  Camp  Sam 
Johnson.  We  were  now  but  forty-five  miles  from  Fort  Hays, 
the  point  at  which  General  Sheridan  and  his  guests  expected  to 
strike  the  Kansas  Pacific  Eailway  and  thence  return  home. 
That  evening  I  volunteered  to  ride  to  Fort  Hays  and  meet  the 
party  next  day  bringing  with  me  all  the  letters  that  might 
be  at  the  post.  Taking  the  best  horse  in  the  command  I  started 
out,  expecting  to  make  the  trip  in  about  four  hours. 

The  next  morning  the  command  got  an  early  start  and  trav- 
eled thirty  miles  to  Saline  river,  where  they  made  their  last 
camp  on  the  plains.  As  some  of  the  party  were  attacking  a  herd 
of  buffaloes,  I  rode  in  from  Fort  Hays  and  got  into  the  middle 
of  the  herd,  and  killed  a  buffalo  or  two  before  the  hunters  ob- 
served me.  I  brought  a  large  number  of  letters,  which  proved 
welcome  reading  matter. 

CAMP-FIRE    CHATS. 

In  the  evening  we  gathered  around  the  camp-fire  for  the  last 
time.  The  duty  of  naming  the  camp,  which  was  called  Camp 
Davies,  having  been  duly  performed,  we  all  united  in  making 
that  night  the  pleasantest  of  all  that  we  had  spent  together.  We 
had  eloquent  speeches,  songs,  and  interesting  anecdotes.  I  was 
called  upon,  and  entertained  the  gentlemen  with  some  lively  In- 
dian stories. 

The  excursionists  reached  Fort  Hays,  distant  fifteen  miles,  on 
the  morning  of  October  2d,  where  we  pitched  our  tents  for  the 
last  time,  and  named  the  camp  in  honor  of  Mr.  Hecksher.  That 
same  afternoon  General  Sheridan  and  his  guests  took  the  train 
for  the  East,  after  bidding  Major  Brown,  Lieutenant  Hayes  and 
myself  a  hearty  good-bye,  and  expressing  themselves  as  greatly 
pleased  with  their  hunt,  and  the  manner  in  which  they  had  been 
escorted  and  guided. 


230  STOET  OF  THE  WILD  WEST. 

It  will  be  proper  and  fair  to  state  here  that  General  Daviea 
afterwards  wrote  an  interesting  account  of  this  hunt  and  pub- 
lished it  in  a  neat  volume  of  sixty-eight  pages,  under  the  title  of 
**  Ten  Days  on  the  Plains."  I  would  have  inserted  the  volume 
bodily  in  this  book,  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  the  General  has 
spoken  in  a  rather  too  complimentary  manner  of  me.  Plowever, 
I  have  taken  the  liberty  in  cnis  chapter  to   condense  from  the 


AROUND   THE    CAMP-FIRE. 


little  volume,  and  in  some  places  I  have  used  the  identical  Ian 
guage  of   General  Davies  without  quoting  the  same ;  in  fact,  to 
do  the  General  justice,  I  ought  to  close  this  chapter  with  several 
lines  of  quotation  marks  to  be  pretty  generally  distributed  by 
the  reader  throughout  my  account  of  our  ten  days'  hunt. 

Soon  after  the  departure  of  General  Shsiidan'js  party,  we  re- 
turned to  Fort  McPherson  and  fband  General  Carr  abomt  V 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  231 

start  out  on  a  twenty  days'  scout,  not  so  much  for  the  purpose 
of  finding  Indians,  but  more  for  the  object  of  taking  some  friends 
on  a  hunt.  His  guests  were  a  couple  of  Englishmen,  —  whose 
names  I  cannot  now  remember  —  and  Mr.  McCarthy,  of  Syra- 
cuse, New  York,  who  was  a  relative  of  General  Emory.  The 
command  consisted  of  three  companies  of  the  Fifth  Cavalry,  one 
company  of  Pawnee  Indians,  and  twenty-five  wagons.  Of  course 
I  was  called  on  to  accompany  the  expedition. 

A   LITTLE   JOKE    ON  MCCARTHY. 

One  day,  after  we  had  been  out  from  the  post  for  some  little 
time,  I  was  hunting  on  Deer  creek,  in  company  with  Mr.  Mc- 
Carthy, about  eight  miles  from  the  command.  I  had  been  wish- 
ing for  several  days  to  play  a  joke  on  him,  and  had  arranged  a 
plan  with  Captain  Lute  North  to  carry  it  into  execution.  I  had 
informed  North  at  about  what  time  we  would  be  on  Deer  creek, 
and  it  was  agreed  that  he  should  appear  in  the  vicinity  with 
some  of  his  Pawnees,  who  were  to  throw  their  blankets  around 
them,  and  come  dashing  down  upon  us,  firing  and  whooping  in 
true  Indian  style,  while  he  was  to  either  conceal  or  disguise  him- 
self. This  programme  was  faithfully  and  completely  carried  out. 
T  had  been  talking  about  Indians  to  McCarthy,  and  he  had  be- 
come considerably  excited,  when  just  as  we  turned  a  bend  of  the 
creek,  we  saw  not  half  a  mile  from  us  about  twenty  Indians,  who 
instantly  started  for  us  on  a  gallop,  firing  their  guns  and  yelling 
at  the  top  of  their  voices. 

*'  McCarthy,  shall  we  dismount  and  fight,  or  run?"  said  I. 

He  didn't  wait  to  reply,  but  wheeling  his  horse,  started  at  full 
speed  down  the  creek,  losing  his  hat  and  dropping  his  gun ;  away 
he  went,  never  once  looking  back  to  see  if  he  was  being  pursued. 
I  tried  to  stop  him  by  yelling  at  him  and  saying  that  it  was  all 
right,  as  the  Indians  were  Pawnees.  Unfortunately  he  did  not 
hear  me,  but  kept  straight  on,  not  stopping  his  horse  until  he 
reached  the  camp. 

I  knew  that  he  would  tell  General  Carr  that  the  Indians  had 
jumped  him,  and  that  the  General  would  soon  start  out  with  the 


232 


STORY  OF   THE   WILD   WEST, 


troops.  So  as  quick  as  the  Pawnees  rode  up  to  me  I  told  them  to 
remain  there  while  I  went  after  my  friend.  I  rode  after  him  as 
fast  as  possible,  but  he  had  arrived  at  the  command  some  time 
before  me  and  when  I  got  there  the  General  had,  as  I  had  sus- 
pected he  would  do,  ordered  out  two  companies  of  cavalry  to  go 
in  pursuit  of  the  Indians.  I  told  the  General  that  the  Indians 
were  only  some  Pawnees,  who  had  been  out  hunting  and  that  they 
had  merely  played  a  joke  upon  us.     I  forgot  to  inform  him  that  I 


NO   TI5IE   FOR   LOOKING   BACK. 

had  put  up  the  trick,  but  as  he  was  always  fond  of  a  good  joke 
himself,  he  did  not  get  very  angry.  I  had  picked  up  McCarthy's 
hat  and  gun  which  I  returned  to  him,  and  it  was  some  time  after- 
wards before  he  discovered  who  was  at  the  bottom  of  the  affair. 

REMAINS  OF  THE  MURDERED  BUCK  PARTY. 

When  we  returned  to  Fort  McPherson  we  found  there  Mr. 
Royal  Buck,  whose  father  had  been  killed  with  his  entire  party 
by  Pawnee  Killer's  band  of  Indians  on  the  Beaver  creek.  He 
had  a  letter  from  the  commanding  officer  of  the  department  re- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OP  BUFFALO  BILL.  233 

questing  that  he  be  furnished  with  an  escort  to  go  in  seareri  of 
the  remains  of  his  father  and  the  party.  Two  companies  of 
cavalry  were  sent  with  him  and  I  accompanied  them  as  a  guide. 
As  the  old  squaw,  which  we  had  captured,  and  of  which  mention 
is  made  in  a  previous  chapter,  could  not  exactly  tell  us  the  place 
on  Beaver  creek  where  the  party  had  been  killed,  we  searched 
the  country  over  for  two  days  and  discovered  no  signs  of  the 
murdered  men.  At  last,  however,  our  efforts  were  rewarded 
with  success.  We  found  pieces  of  their  wagons  and  among  other 
things  an  old  letter  or  two  which  Mr.  Buck  recognized  as  his 
father's  handwriting.  We  then  discovered  some  of  the  remains, 
which  we  buried ;  but  nothing  further.  It  was  now  getting  late 
in  the  fall  and  we  accordingly  returned  to  Fort  McPherson. 

A  short  time  after  this  the  Fifth  Cavalry  was  ordered  to 
Arizona,  a  not  very  desirable  country  to  soldier  in.  I  had  become 
greatly  attached  to  the  officers  of  the  regiment,  having  been 
continually  with  them  for  over  three  years,  and  had  about  made 
up  my  mind  to  accompany  them,  when  a  letter  was  received  from 
General  Sheridan  instructing  the  commanding  officer  **  not  tG 
take  Cody''  with  him,  and  saying  that  I  was  to  remain  in  my 
old  position.  In  a  few  days  the  command  left  for  its  destina- 
tion, taking  the  cars  at  McPherson  Station,  where  I  bade  my  oM 
friends  adieu.  During  the  next  few  weeks  I  had  but  little  to  do, 
as  the  post  was  garrisoned  by  infantry,  awaiting  the  arrival  of 
the  Third  Cavalry. 

HUNTING  WITH  A  GRAND  DUKE. 

About  the  first  of  January,  1872,  General  Forsyth  and  Dr.  Asch, 
of  Sheridan's  staff  came  out  to  Fort  McPherson  to  make  prepara- 
tions for  a  big  buffalo  hunt  for  the  Grand  Duke  Alexis,  of  Russia; 
and  as  this  was  to  be  no  ordinary  affair,  these  officers  had  been  sent 
by  General  Sheridan  to  have  all  the  necessary  arrangements  per- 
fected by  the  time  the  Grand  Duke  should  arrive.  They  learned 
from  me  that  there  were  plenty  of  buffaloes  in  the  vicinity, 
and  especially  on  the  Red  Willow,  sixty  miles  distant.  They  saiu 
they  would  like  to  go  over  on  the*  Red  Willow  and  pick  out  a 


234  STORY   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

„::Jitable  place  for  the  camp;  they  also  inquired  the  location  of 
the  camp  of  Spotted  Tail,  chief  of  the  Sioux  Indians,  Spotted 
Tail  had  permission  from  the  Government  to  hunt  the  buffalo 
with  his  people  during  the  winter,  in  the  Republican  river  coun- 
try. It  was  my  opinion  that  they  were  located  somewhere  on  the 
Frenchman's  fork,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  Fort 
McPherson. 

General  Sheridan's  commissioner  informed  me  that  he  wished 
me  to  visit  Spotted  Tail's  camp,  and  induce  about  one  hundred 
of  the  leading  warriors  and  chiefs  to  come  to  the  point  where  it 
should  be  decided  to  locate  the  Alexis  hunting  camp,  and  to  be 
there  by  the  time  the  Grand  Duke  should  arrive,  so  that  he  could 
see  a  body  of  American  Indians  and  observe  the  manner  in  which 
they  killed  buffaloes.  The  Indians  would  also  be  called  upon  to 
give  a  grand  war  dance  in  honor  of  the  distinguished  visitor. 

Next  morning  General  Forsyth  and  Dr.  Asch,  accompanied  by 
Captain  Hays,  who  had  been  left  at  Fort  McPherson  in  charge  of 
the  Fifth  Cavalry  horses,  taking  an  ambulance  and  a  light  wagon, 
to  carry  their  tents  and  provisions  sufficient  to  last  them  two  or 
three  days,  started,  under  my  guidance,  with  a  small  escort,  for 
Red  Willow  creek,  arriving  there  at  night.  The  next  day  we 
selected  a  pleasant  camping  place  on  a  little  knoll  in  the  vallej> 
of  the  Red  Willow.  General  Forsyth  and  his  party  returned  to 
the  post  the  next  day  while  I  left  for  Spotted  Tail's  camp. 

The  weather  was  very  cold  and  I  found  my  journey  by  no 
means  a  pleasant  one  as  I  was  obliged  to  camp  out  with  only  mj 
saddle-blankets ;  and  besides,  there  was  more  or  less  danger  fron? 
the  Indians  themselves  ;  for,  although  Spotted  Tail  himself  wa^ 
friendly,  I  was  afraid  I  might  have  difficulty  in  getting  into  hi? 
eamp.  I  was  liable  at  any  moment  to  run  into  a  party  of  hi? 
young  men  who  might  be  out  hunting,  and  as  I  had  many  enemies 
among  the  Sioux,  I  would  be  running  considerable  risk  in  meeting 
them. 

A   VISIT  TO   SPOTTED  TAIL. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  day  I  camped  on  Stinking  Water,  a 
tributary  of  the  Frenchman's  fork,  where  I  built  a  little  fire  in 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL. 


235 


the  timber ;  but  it  was  so  very  cold  I  was  not  able  to  sleep  much. 
Getting  an  early  start  in  the  morning  I  followed  up  the  French- 
man's fork  and  late  in  the  afternoon  I  could  see,  from  the  fresh 
horse  tracks  and  from  the  dead  buffaloes  lying  here  and  there, 
recently  killed,  that  I  was  nearing  Spotted  Tail's  camp.  I  rode 
on  for  a  few  miles  further,  and  then  hiding  my  horse  in  a  low 
ravine,  I  crawled  up  a  high  hill,  where  I  obtained  a  good  view  of 
the  country.  I  could  see  for  four  or  five  miles  up  the  creek,  and 
got  sight  of  a  village  and  of  two  or  three  hundred  ponies  in  its 


CHIEF    SPOTTED   TAIL. 


vicinity.     I   waited  until  night  came  and  then  I   succeeded  in 
riding  into  the  Indian  camp  unobserved. 

I  had  seen  Spotted  Tail's  camp  when  he  came  from  the  North 
and  I  knew  the  kind  of  lodge  he  was  living  in.  As  I  entered  the 
village  I  wrapped  a  blanket  around  my  head  so  that  the  Indians 
could  not  tell  whether  I  was  a  white  or  a  red  man.  In  this  way  1 
rode  around  until  I  found  Spotted  Tail's  lodge.  Dismounting 
from  my  horse  I  opened  his  tent  door  and  looking  in,  saw  the 
old  chief  lying  on  some  robes.  I  spoke  to  him  and  he  recognized 
me  at  once  and  invited  me  to  enter.     Inside  the  lodge  I  found  a 


236  STORY   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

white  man,  an  old  frontiersman,  Todd  Kandall,  who  was  Spotted 
Tail's  agent  and  who  had  lived  a  great  many  years  with  the  In- 
dians. He  understood  their  language  perfectly  and  did  all  the 
interpreting  for  Spotted  Tail.  Through  him  I  readily  communi- 
cated with  the  chief  and  informed  him  of  my  errand.  I  told  him 
that  the  warriors  and  chiefs  would  greatly  please  General  Sheri- 
dan if  they  would  meet  him  about  ten  sleeps  at  the  old  Govern- 
ment crossing  of  the  Red  Willow.  I  further  informed  him  that 
there  was  a  great  chief  from  across  the  water  who  was  coming 
there  to  visit  him. 

Spotted  Tail  replied  that  he  would  be  very  glad  to  go ;  that 
the  next  morning  he  would  call  his  people  together  and  select 
those  who  would  accompany  him.  I  told  Spotted  Tail  how  I  had 
entered  his  camp.  He  replied  that  I  had  acted  wisely;  that  al- 
though his  people  were  friendly,  yet  some  of  his  young  men  had 
a  grudge  against  me,  and  I  might  have  had  difficulty  with  them 
had  I  met  them  away  from  the  village.  He  directed  his  squaw 
to  get  me  something  to  eat,  and  ordered  that  my  horse  be 
taken  care  of  and  upon  his  invitation  I  spent  the  remainder  of 
the  night  in  his  lodge. 

THEY  WANTED  TO   LITT   MY  HAIR. 

Next  morning  the  chiefs  and  warriors  assembled  according  to 
orders,  and  to  them  was  stated  the  object  of  my  visit.  They 
were  asked:     **  Do  you  know  who  this  man  is?" 

**  Yes,  we  know  him  well,"  replied  one,  "  that  is  Pa-he-has- 
ka,"  (that  being  my  name  among  the  Sioux,  which  translated 
means  **  Long-Hair")  *'  that  is  our  old  enemy;"  a  great  many 
of  the  Indians,  who  were  with  Spotted  Tail  at  this  time,  had 
been  driven  out  of  the  Republican  country. 

*'  That  is  he,"  said  Spotted  Tail.  **  I  want  all  my  people  to 
be  kind  to  him  and  treat  him  as  my  friend." 

I  noticed  that  several  of  them  were  looking  daggers  at  me. 
They  appeared  as  if  they  wished  to  raise  my  hair  then  and  there. 
Spotted  Tail  motioned  and  I  followed  him  into  his  lodge,  and 
thereupon  the  Indians    dispersed-     Having    the    assurance    of 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL. 


237 


Spotted  Tail  that  none  of  the  young  men  would  follow  me  I 
started  back  for  the  Ked  Willow,  arriving  the  second  night. 

There  I  found  Captain  Egan  with  a  company  of  the  second 
Cavalry  and  a  wagon  train  loaded  with  tents,  grain,  provisions, 
etc.  The  men  were  leveling  off  the  ground  and  were  making 
preparations  to  put  up  large  wall  tents  for  the  Grand  Duke 
Alexis  and  his  suite,  and  for  General  Sheridan,  his  staff  and  other 
officers,  and  invited 
.guests  of  the  party.  Pro- 
ceeding to  Fort  McPher- 
son  I  reported  what  had 
been  done.  Thereupon 
Quartermaster  Hays 
•selected  from  the  five 
or  six  hundred  horses  in 
h  i  3  charge  seventy-five 
of  the  very  best,  which 
were  sent  to  the  Red 
Willow,  to  be  used  by 
Alexis  and  his  party  at 
the  coming  hunt.  In  a 
day  or  two  a  large  sup- 
ply of  provisions, 
liquors ,  etc . ,  arrived  from 
Chicago,  together  with  ^^^  ^^^^  ^^^^'  ^^™^ 

bedding  and  furniture  for  the  tents ;  all  of  which  were  sent  ovei 
to  Camp  Alexis. 


ARRIVAL   OF   THE    GRAND   DUKE. 

At  last,  on  the  morning  of  the  12th  of  January,  1872,  the 
Grand  Duke  and  party  arrived  at  North  Platte  by  special  train, 
in  charge  of  a  Mr .  Francis  Thompson.  Captain  Hays  and  myself, 
with  five  or  six  ambulances,  fifteen  or  twenty  extra  saddle  horses 
and  a  company  of  cavalry  under  Captain  Egan,  were  at  the  depot 
in  time  to  receive  them.  Presently  General  Sheridan  and  a  large, 
fine  looking  young  man,  whom  we  at  once  conciuaeci  ro  De  the 


238  STORY    OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

Grand  Duke,  came  out  of  the  cars  and  approached  us.  General 
Sheridan  at  once  introduced  nie  to  the  Grand  Duke  as  Buffalo 
Bill,  for  he  it  was,  and  said  that  I  was  to  take  charge  of  him  and 
show  him  how  to  kill  buffalo. 

In  less  than  half  an  hour  the  whole  party  were  dashing  away 
towards  the  south,  across  the  South  Platte  and  towards  the  Med- 
icine, upon  reaching  which  point  we  halted  for  a  change  of 
horses  and  a  lunch.  Kesuming  our  ride  we  reached  Camp  Alexis 
in  the  afternoon.  General  Sheridan  was  well  pleased  with  the 
arrangements  that  had  been  made  and  was  delighted  to  find  that 
Spotted  Tail  and  his  Indians  had  arrived  on  time.  They  were  ob- 
jects of  great  curiosity  to  the  Grand  Duke,  who  spent  consider- 
able time  in  looking  at  them,  and  watching  their  exhibitions  of 
horsemanship,  sham  fights,  etc.  That  evening  the  Indians  gave 
the  grand  war  dance,  which  I  had  arranged  for. 

GIVING  DUKE    ALEXIS   THE    CUE. 

General  Custer,  who  was  one  of  the  hunting  party,  carried  on 
a  mild  flirtation  with  one  of  Spotted  Tail's  daughters,  who  had 
accompanied  her  father  thither,  and  it  was  noticed  also  that  the 
Duke  Alexis  paid  considerable  attention  to  another  handsome 
red-skin  maiden.  The  night  passed  pleasantly,  and  all  retired 
with  great  expectations  of  having  a  most  enjoyable  and  success- 
ful buffalo  hunt.  The  Duke  Alexis  asked  me  a  great  many  ques- 
tions as  to  how  we  shot  buffaloes,  and  what  kind  of  a  gun  or 
pistol  we  used,  and  if  he  was  going  to  have  a  good  horse.  I  teld 
him  that  he  was  going  to  have  my  celebrated  buffalo  horse  Buck- 
skin Joe,  and  when  we  went  into  a  buffalo  herd  all  he  would 
have  to  do  was  to  sit  on  the  horse's  back  and  fire  away. 

At  nine  o'clock  next  morning  we  were  all  in  our  saddles  and 
in  a  few  minutes  were  galloping  over  the  prairies  in  search  of  a 
buffalo  herd.  We  had  not  gone  far  before  we  observed  a  herd 
some  distance  ahead  of  us  crossing  our  way ;  after  that  we  pro- 
ceeded cautiously,  so  as  to  keep  out  of  sight  until  we  were  ready 
to  make  a  charge. 

In  a  moment  the  Duke  became  very  much  excited  and  anxious 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  239 

to  charge  directly  toward  the  buffaloes,  but  I  restrained  him 
for  a  time,  until  getting  around  to  windward  and  keeping  behind 
the  sand  hills  the  herd  was  gradually  approached. 

**  Now,"  said  I,  **  is  your  time;  you  must  ride  as  fast  as  your 
horse  will  go,  and  don't  shoot  until  you  get  a  good  opportunity." 

Away  we  went,  tearing  down  the  hill  and  throwing  up  a  sand- 
storm in  the  rear,  leaving  the  Duke's  retinue  far  behind.  When 
within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  fleeing  buffaloes  the  Duke  fired, 
but  unfortunately  missed,  being  unused  to  shooting  from  a  run- 
ning horse. 

I  now  rode  up  close  beside  him  and  advised  him  not  to  fire 
until  he  could 
ride  directly 
upon  the  flank 
of  a  buffalo, 
as  the  sport 
was  most  in 
the  chase. ^! 
We  dashed  off 
together  and 
ran  our  horses 
on  either  flank 
of  a  large  bull, 

against  the  the  grand  duke  killing  his  first  buffalo. 
side  of  which  the  Duke  thrust  his  gun  and  fired  a  fatal  shot.  He 
was  very  much  elated  at  his  success,  taking  off  his  cap  and  waving 
it  vehemently,  at  the  same  time  shouting  to  those  who  were  fully 
a  mile  in  the  rear.  When  his  retinue  came  up  there  were  con- 
gratulations and  every  one  drank  to  his  good  health  with  over- 
flowing glasses  of  champagne.  The  hide  of  the  dead  buffalo  was 
carefully  removed  and  dressed,  and  the  royal  traveler  in  his 
journey ings  over  the  world  has  no  doubt  often  rested  himself 
upon  this  trophy  of  his  skill  (?)  on  the  plains  of  America. 

An  encampment  was  now  made,  as  the  party  was  quite  fatigued, 
and  the  evening  passed  with  song  and  story.  On  the  following 
day,  by  request  of  Spotted  Tail,  the  Grand  Duke  hunted  for  a 


240 


STORY   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 


while  beside  **  Two  Lance,"  a  celebrated  chief,  who  claimed  he 
could  send  an  arrow  entirely  through  the  body  of  the  largest 
buffalo.  This  feat  seemed  so  incredulous  that  there  was  a  gen- 
eral denial  of  his  ability  to  perform  it;  nevertheless,  the  Grand 
Duke  and  also  several  others  who  accompanied  the  chief,  wit- 
nessed, with  profound  astonishment,  an  accomplishment  of  the 
feat,  and  the  arrow  that  passed  through  the  buffalo  was  given  to 
the  Duke  as  a  memento  of  Two  Lance's  skill  and  power.     On 


ON  THE   HAPPY   HUNTING   GllOUNDS   OF   MISSOURI. 

the  same  day  of  this  performance  the  Grand  Duke  killed  a 
buffalo  at  a  distance  of  one  hundred  paces  with  a  heavy  navy 
revolver.     The  shot  was  a  marvelous  —  scratch. 

When  the  Grand  Duke  was  satisfied  with  the  sport,  orders 
were  given  for  the  return  to  the  railroad.  The  conveyance  pro- 
vided for  the  Grand  Duke  and  General  Sheridan  was  a  heavy 
double-seated  open  carriage,  or  rather  an  Irish  dog-cart,  and  it 
was  drawn  by  six  spirited  cavalry  horses  which  were  not  much 
used  to  the  harness.     The  driver  was  Bill  Keed,  an  old  overland 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  241 

stage  driver  and  wagon-master  ;  on  our  way  in,  the  Grand  Duke 
frequently  expressed  his  admiration  of  the  skillful  manner  in 
which  Reed  handled  the  reins.  General  Sheridan  informed  the 
Duke  that  I  also  had  been  a  stage  driver  in  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
and  thereupon  His  Royal  Highness  expressed  a  desire  to  see  me 
drive.  I  was  in  advance  at  the  time,  and  General  Sheridan  sang 
out  to  me  : 

**  Cody,  get  in  here  and  show  the  Duke  how  you  can  drive. 
Mr.  Reed  will  exchange  places  with  you  and  ride  your  horse." 

<*A11  right,  General,"  said  I,  and  in  a  few  moments  I  had  the 
reins  and  we  were  rattling  away  over  the  prairie.  When  we 
were  approaching  Medicine  creek,  General  Sheridan  said: 
**  Shake  'em  up  a  little  Bill,  and  give  us  some  old-time  stage- 
driving." 

GIVING   THE   BUKE  A  SHAKING  UP. 

I  gave  the  horses  a  crack  or  two  of  the  whip,  and  they  started 
off  at  a  very  rapid  gait.  They  had  a  light  load  to  pull,  and  kept 
increasing  their  speed  at  every  jump,  and  I  found  it  difficult  to 
hold  them.  They  fairly  flew  over  the  ground,  and  at  last  we 
reached  a  steep  hill,  or  divide,  which  led  down  into  the  valley  of 
the  Medicine.  There  was  jio  brake  on  the  wagon,  and  the  horses 
were  not  much  on  the  hold  back.  I  saw  that  it  would  be  impos- 
sible to  stop  them.  All  I  could  do  was  to  keep  them  straight  in 
the  track  and  let  them  go  it  down  the  hill,  for  three  miles,  which 
distance,  I  believe,  was  made  in  about  six  minutes.  Every  once 
in  a  while  the  hind  wheels  would  strike  a  rut  and  take  a  bound, 
and  not  touch  the  ground  again  for  fifteen  or  twenty  feet.  The 
Duke  and  the  General  were  kept  rather  busy  in  holding  their 
positions  on  the  seats,  and  when  they  saw  that  I  was  keeping  the 
horses  straight  in  the  road,  they  seemed  to  enjoy  the  dash  which 
we  were  making.  I  was  unable  to  stop  the  team  until  they  ran 
into  the  camp  where  we  were  to  obtain  a  fresh  relay,  and  there 
I  succeeded  in  checking  them.  The  Grand  Duke  said  he  didn't 
want  any  more  of  that  kind  of  driving,  as  he  preferred  to  go  a 
little  slower. 


242 


STORY   OF   THE    WILD   WESY. 


On  arriving  at  the  railroad,  the  Duke  invited  me  into  his  car, 
and  made  me  some  valuable  presents,  at  the  same  time  giving 
me  a  cordial  invitation  to  visit  him,  if  ever  I  should  come  to  his 
country.  At  the  same  time  General  Sheridan  took  occasion  to 
remind  me  of  an  invitation  to  visit  New  York  which  I  had  re- 
ceived from  some  of  the  gentlemen  who  accompanied  the  General 
on  the  hunt  from  Fort  McPherson  to  Hays  City,  in  Septembei 


SHAKING  UP  THE  GRAND  DUKE. 

of  the  previous  year.  Said  he:  *'  You  will  never  have  a  better 
opportunity  to  accept  that  invitation  than  now.  I  have  had  a 
talk  with  General  Ord  concerning  you,  and  he  will  give  you  leave 
of  absence  whenever  you  are  ready  to  start.  Write  a  letter  to 
General  Stager,  of  Chicago,  that  you  are  now  prepared  to  accept 
the  invitation,  and  he  will  send  you  a  pass."  Thanking  the  Gen 
era!  for  his  kindness,  I  then  bade  him  and  the  Grand  Duke  good- 
bye, and  soon  their  train  was  out  of  sight. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    BUFFALO   BILL. 


243 


CHAPTEE    XVm. 


SCOUTING    IN   A   SWALLOW-TAIL   OUTFIT. 


ENEEAL  OED,  commanding  the  De- 
partment of  the  Platte  at  the  time,  and 
who  had  been  out  on  the  Alexis  hunt, 
had  some  business  to  attend  to  at  Fort 
McPherson,  and  I  accepted  his  invita- 
tion to  ride  over  to  the  post  with  him 
in  an  ambulance.  On  the  way  thither 
he  asked  me  how  I  would  like  to  have 
an  officer's  commission  in  the  regular 
army.  He  said  that  General  Sheridan 
and  himself  had  had  some  conversation 
about  the  matter,  and  if  I  wanted  a 
commission,  one  could  easily  be  pro- 
cured for  me.  I  thanked  General  Ord 
for  his  kindness,  and  said  that  although  an  officer's  commission 
in  the  regular  army  was  a  tempting  prize,  yet  I  preferred  to  re- 
main in  the  position  I  was  then  holding.  He  concluded  by  stat- 
ing that  if  at  any  time  1  should  wish  a  commission,  all  that  1 
would  have  to  do  to  secure  it  would  be  to  inform  him  of  my 
desire. 

Having  determined  to  visit  Kew  York,  I  acted  upon  General 
Sheridan's  suggestion  and  wrote  to  General  Stager,  from  whom 
in  a  few  days  I  received  my  railroad  passes.  Obtaining  thirty 
days'  leave  of  absence  from  the  department,  I  struck  out  for  the 
East.  On  arriving  in  Chicago,  in  February,  1872,  I  was  met  at 
the  depot  by  Colonel  M.  V.  Sheridan,  who  said  that  his  brother, 
the  General,  had  not  yet  returned,  but  had  sent  word  that  I  was 
to  be  his  and  the  Colonel's  guest,  at  their  house,  while  I  re- 
mained in  Chicago. 

I  spent  two  or  three  days  very  pleasantly  in  the  great  city  of 
the  West,  meeting  several  gentlemen  who  had  been  out  on  the 


244 


STOKY   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 


Sheridan  hunt  in  September:  General  Stager,  Colonel  Wilson, 
editor  of  the  Journal;  Mr.  Sam  Johnson,  General  Rucker  and 
others,  by  all  of  whom  I  was  most  cordially  received  and  well 
entertained.  I  was  introduced  to  quite  a  number  of  the  best  peo- 
ple of  the  city,  and  was  invited  to  several  '*  swell*'  dinners.  I 
also  accompanied  General  Sheridan  —  who  meantime  had  re- 
turned to  the  city  —  to  a  ball  at  Riverside,  an  aristocratic  sub- 
urb. On  this 
occasion  I  be- 
came so  embar- 
rassed that  it 
was  more  diffi- 
cult for  me  to 
face  the  throng 
of  beautiful 
ladies,  than  it 
w  ould  hav  e 
been  to  con- 
front a  hundred 
hostile  Indians. 
This  was  my 
first  trip  to  the 
East,  and  I  had 
not  yet  become 
accustomed  to 
being  stared  at. 
And  besides 

SCOUTING    AMONG    THE    CIVILIANS.  this,     thc     huU- 

dreds  of  questions  which  I  was  called  upon  cO  answer  further 
embarrassed  and  perplexed  me. 

According  to  the  route  laid  out  for  me  by  General  Stager,  X 
was  to  stop  at  Niagara  Falls,  Buffalo  and  Rochester  on  my  way 
to  New  York,  and  he  provided  me  with  all  the  necessary  railroad 
passes.  Just  as  I  was  about  to  leave  Chicago  I  met  Professor 
Henry  A.  Ward,  of  Rochester,  for  whom  during  the  previous 
year  ot  two  I  had  collected  a  large  number  of  specimens  of  wild 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  245 

animals.  He  was  on  his  way  to  Rochester,  and  kindly  volun- 
teered to  act  as  my  guide  until  we  reached  that  point.  We  spent 
one  day  in  viewing  the  wonders  of  Niagara,  and  I  stopped  one 
day  at  Rochester  and  was  shown  the  beauties  of  that  handsome 
city  by  Professor  Ward,  and  I  had  the  honor  of  receiving  an  in 
vitation  to  dine  with  the  Mayor. 

A   GUEST   OF  THE  UNION   CLUB. 

On  arriving  at  New  York  I  was  met  at  the  depot  by  Mr.  J.  G. 
Hecksher,  who  had  been  appointed  as  "  a  committee  of  one" 
to  escort  me  to  the  Union  Club,  where  James  Gordon  Bennett, 
Leonard  W.  Jerome  and  others  were  to  give  me  an  informal  re- 
ception, and  where  I  was  to  make  iziy  headquarters  during  my 
visit  to  the  great  metropolis.  I  had  an  elegant  dinner  at  the 
club  rooms,  with  the  gentlemen  who  had  been  out  on  the  Sep- 
tember hunt,  and  other  members  of  the  club. 

After  dinner,  in  company  with  Mr.  Hecksher  — who  acted  as  my 
guide  —  I  started  out  on  the  trail  of  my  friend,  Ned  Buntline, 
whom  we  found  at  the  Brevoort  Place  Hotel.  He  was  delighted 
to  see  me,  and  insisted  on  my  becoming  his  guest.  He  would 
listen  to  no  excuses,  and  on  introducing  me  to  Messrs.  Overton 
&  Blair,  proprietors  of  the  Brevoort,  they  also  gave  me  a  press- 
ing invitation  to  make  my  home  at  their  hou  ie.  I  finally  com- 
promised the  matter  by  agreeing  to  divide  my  time  between  the 
Union  Club,  the  Brevoort  House,  and  Ned  Buntline's  headquart- 
ers. 

The  next  few  days  I  spent  in  viewing  the  sights  of  New  York, 
everything  being  new  and  startling,  convincing  me  that  as  yet  I 
had  seen  but  a  small  portion  of  the  world.  I  received  numerous 
dinner  invitations,  as  well  as  invitations  to  visit  different  places 
of  amusement  and  interest ;  but  as  they  came  in  so  thick  and 
fast,  I  soon  became  badly  demoralized  and  confused.  I  found 
I  had  accepted  invitations  to  dine  at  half  a  dozen  or  more  houses 
on  the  same  day  and  at  the  same  hour.  James  Gordon  Bennett 
had  prepared  a  dinner  for  me,  at  which  quite  a  large  number  of 
his  friends  were  to  be  present,  but  owing  to  my  confusion,  aris- 


246  STORY  OF  THE  WILD  WEST, 

mg  from  the  many  other  invitations  I  had  received,  I  forgot  all 
about  it  and  dined  elsewhere.  This  was  "  a  bad  break,"  but  I 
did  not  learn  of  my  mistake  until  next  day,  when  at  the  Unioii 
Club  House  several  gentlemen,  among  them  Lawrence  Jerome, 
inquired  **  where  in  the  world  I  had  been,"  and  why  I  had  not 
put  in  an  appearance  at  Bennett's  dinner.  They  said  that  Ben- 
nett had  taken  great  pains  to  give  me  a  splendid  reception,  that 
the  party  had  waited  till  nine  o'clock  for  me  and  that  my  non- 
arrival  caused  considerable  disappointment.  I  apologized  as  well 
as  I  could  by  saying  that  I  had  been  out  on  a  scout  and  had  got 
lost  and  had  forgotten  all  about  the  dinner,  and  expressed  my 
regret  for  the  disappointment  I  had  created  by  my  forgetfulness. 
August  Belmont,  the  banker,  being  near,  said:  **  Never  mind, 
gentlemen,  I'll  give  Cody  a  dinner  at  my  house." 

<'  Thank  you,  sir,"  said  I;  **  I  see  you  are  determined  that  I 
shall  not  run  short  of  rations  while  I  am  in  the  city.  I'll  be- 
there,  sure."  Both  Mr.  Jerome  and  Mr.  Hccksher  told  me  that 
I  must  not  disappoint  Mr.  Behnont,  for  his  dinners  were  splen- 
did affairs.  I  made  a  note  of  the  date,  and  at  the  appointed 
time  I  was  promptly  at  Mr.  Belmont's  mansion,  where  I  spent 
a  very  enjoyable  evening. 

Mr.  Bennett,  who  was  among  the  guests,  having  forgiven  my 
carelessness,  invited  me  to  accompany  him  to  the  Liederkranz 
masked  ball,  which  was  to  take  place  in  a  few  evenings  and  would 
be  a  grand  spectacle.  Together  we  attended  the  ball  and  durmg 
the  evening  I  was  well  entertained.  The  dancers  kept  on  their 
masks  until  midnight,  and  the  merry  and  motley  throng  pre- 
sented a  brilliant  scene,  moving  gracefully  beneath  the  bright 
gas-light  to  inspiriting  music.  To  me  it  was  a  novel  and 
entertaining  sight,  and  in  many  respects  "eminded  me  greatly  of 
an  Indian  war-dance. 

Acting  upon  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Bennett,  I  had  dressed  my- 
self m  my  buckskin  suit,  and  I  naturally  attracted  considerable 
attention ;  especially  when  I  took  part  in  the  dancing  and  exhib- 
ited some  of  my  backwoods  steps,  which,  although  not  as  grace- 
ful as  some,  were  a  great  deal  more  emphatic.     But  when  I 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  247 

undertook  to  do  artistic  dancing,  I  found  I  was  decidedly  out  of 
place  in  that  crowd,  and  I  accordingly  withdrew  from  the  floor. 
I  occasionally  passed  an  evening  at  Ni bio's  Garden,  viewing 
the  many  beauties  of  *'  The  Black  Crook,"  which  was  then  hav- 
ing its  long  run,  under  the  management  of  Jarrett  &  Palmer, 
whose  acquaintance  I  had  made,  and  who  extended  to  me  the 
freedom  of  the  theater. 

MY  ALTER  EGO  ON  THE  STAGE. 

Ned  Buntline  and  Fred  Maeder  had  dramatized  one  of  the 
stories  which  the  former  had  written  about  me  for  the  New  York 
Weekly,  The  drama  was  called  '*  Buffalo  Bill,  the  King  of 
Border  Men."  While  I  was  in  New  York  it  was  produced  at 
the  Bowery  Theater;  J.  B.  Studley,  an  excellent  actor,  appearing 
in  the  character  of  *'  Buffalo  Bill,"  and  Mrs.  W.  G.  Jones,  a  fine 
actress,  taking  the  part  of  my  sister,  a  leading  role,  I  was  curi- 
ous to  see  how  I  would  look  when  represented  by  some  one  else, 
and  of  course  I  was  present  on  the  opening  night,  a  private  box 
having  been  reserved  for  me.  The  theater  was  packed,  every 
seat  being  occupied  as  well  as  all  standing-room.  The  drama 
was  played  smoothly  and  created  a  great  deal  of  enthusiasm. 

The  audience,  upon  learning  that  the  real  **  Buffalo  Bill"  was 
present,  gave  several  cheers  between  the  acts,  and  I  was  called 
on  to  come  out  on  the  stage  and  make  a  speech.  Mr.  Freleigh, 
the  manager,  insisted  that  I  should  comply  with  the  request, 
and  that  I  should  be  introduced  to  Mr.  Studley.  I  finally  con- 
sented, and  the  next  moment  I  found  myself  standing  behind 
the  footlights  and  in  front  of  an  audience  for  the  first  time  in 
my  life.  I  looked  up,  then  down,  then  on  each  side,  and  every- 
where I  saw  a  sea  of  human  faces,  and  thousands  of  eyes  all 
staring  at  me.  I  confess  that  I  felt  very  much  embarrassed  — 
never  more  so  in  my  life  —  and  1  knew  not  what  to  say.  I 
made  a  desperate  effort,  and  a  few  words  escaped  me,  but  what 
they  were  I  could  not  for  the  life  of  me  tell,  nor  could  any  one 
else  in  the  house.  My  utterances  were  inaudible  even  to  the 
leader  of  the  orchestra,  Mr.  Dean,  who  was  sitting  only  a  few 


248  STORY   OP  THE   WILD   WEST. 

feet  in  front  of  me.  Bowing  to  the  audience ,  I  beat  a  hasty 
retreat  into  one  of  the  canons  of  the  stage.  I  never  felt  more 
relieved  in  my  life  than  when  I  got  out  of  the  view  of  that  im- 
mense crowd. 

MY  FIRST   APPEARANCE   ON   THE  STAGE. 

That  evening  Mr.  Freleigh  offered  to  give  me  five  hundred 
dollars  a  week  to  play  the  part  of  **  Buffalo  Bill'*  myself.  I 
thought  that  he  was  certainly  joking,  especially  as  he  had  wit- 
nessed my  awkward  performance;  but  when  he  assured  me  that 
he  was  in  earnest,  I  told  him  that  it  would  be  useless  for  me  to 
attempt  anything  of  the  kind,  for  I  never  could  talk  to  a  crowd 
of  people  like  that,  even  if  it  was  to  save  my  neck,  and  that  he 
might  as  well  try  to  make  an  actor  out  of  a  government  mule. 
I  thanked  him  for  the  generous  offer,  which  I  had  to  decline 
owing  to  a  lack  of  confidence  in  myself;  or  as  some  people 
might  express  it,  I  didn't  have  the  requisite  cheek  to  undertake 
a  thing  of  that  sort.  The  play  of  *'  Buffalo  Bill "  had  a  very 
successful  run  of  six  or  eight  weeks,  and  was  afterwards 
produced  in  all  the  principal  cities  of  the  country,  everywhere 
being  received  with  genuine  enthusiasm. 

I  had  been  in  New  York  about  twenty  days  when  General 
Sheridan  arrived  in  the  city.  I  met  him  soon  after  he  got  into 
town.  In  answer  to  a  question  how  I  was  enjoying  myself,  I  re- 
plied that  I  had  struck  the  best  camp  I  had  ever  seen,  and  if  he 
didn't  have  any  objections  I  would  like  to  have  my  leave  of  ab- 
sence extended  about  ten  days.  This  he  willingly  did,  and  then 
informed  me  that  my  services  would  soon  be  required  at  Fort 
McPherson,  as  there  was  to  be  an  expedition  sent  out  from  that 
point. 

At  Westchester,  Pennsylvania,  I  had  some  relatives  living 
whom  I  had  never  seen,  and  now  being  so  near,  I  determined  to 
make  them  a  visit.  Upon  mentioning  the  matter  to  Buntline,  he 
suggested  that  we  should  together  take  a  trip  to  Philadelphia, 
and  thence  run  out  to  Westchester.  Accordingly  the  next  day 
found  us  in  the  '*  City  of  Brotherly  Love,"  and  in  a  few  hours 


AUTOBIOQRAPHr  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  249 

we  arrived  at  the  home  of  my  uncle,  General  Henry  K.  Guss, 
the  proprietor  of  the  Green  Tree  Hotel,  who  gave  us  a  cordial 

reception. 

Inviting  us  into  the  parlor,  my  uncle  brought  in  the  members 
of  his  family,  among  them  an  elderly  lady,  who  was  my  grand- 
mother, as  he  informed  me.  He  told  me  that  my  Aunt  Eliza, 
his  first  wife,  was  dead,  and  that  he  had  married  a  second  time; 
Lizzie  Guss,  my  cousin,  I  thought  was  the  most  beautiful  girl  I 
had  ever  seen.  They  were  all  very  anxious  to  have  us  remain 
several  days,  but  as  I  had  some  business  to  attend  to  in  New 
York,  I  was  obliged  to  re-turn  that  day.  Assuring  them,  how- 
ever, that  I  would  visit  them  again  soon,  I  bade  them  adieu,  and 
with  Buntline  took  the  train  for  New  York. 

The  time  soon  arrived  for  my  departure  for  the  West;  so 
packing  up  my  traps  I  started  for  home,  and  on  the  way  thither 
I  spent  a  day  with  my  Westchester  relatives,  who  did  everything 
in  their  power  to  entertain  me  during  my  brief  stay  with  them. 


250 


STOKT  OiP  THJB  WILD  WEST, 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


AGAIN   ON   THE    INDIAN   TKAIL. 

PON  reaching  Fort  McPherson,  I  found  that  the 
Third  Cavalry,  commanded  by  General  Rey- 
nolds, had  arrived  from  Arizona,  in  which 
Territory  they  had  been  on  duty  for  some  time, 
and  where  they  had  acquired  quite  a  reputation 
on  account  of  their  Indian  fighting  qualities. 
Shortly  after  my  return,  a  small  party  of  In- 
dians made  a  dash  on  McPherson  station, 
about  ^ve  miles  from  the  fort,  killing  two  or 
three  men  and  running  off  quite  a  large  number 
of  horses.  Captain  Meinhold  and  Lieutenant  Lawson  with  their 
company  were  ordered  out  to  pursue  and  punish  the  Indians  if 
possible.  I  was  the  guide  of  the  expedition  and  had  an  assistant, 
T.  B.  Omohundro,  better  known  as  **  Texas  Jack,''  and  who  was 
a  scout  at  the  post. 

Finding  the  trail,  I  followed  it  for  two  days,  although  it  was 
difficult  trailing  because  the  red-skins  had  taken  every  possible 
precaution  to  conceal  their  tracks.  On  the  second  day  Captain 
Meinhold  went  into  camp  on  the  South  fork  of  the  Loupe,  at  a 
point  where  the  trail  was  badly  scattered.  Six  men  were  detailed 
to  accompany  me  on  a  scout  in  search  of  the  camp  of  the  fugitives. 
We  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  when  we  discovered  Indians 
camped,  not  more  than  a  mile  away,  with  horses  grazing  near  by. 
They  were  only  a  small  party,  and  I  determined  to  charge  upon 
them  with  my  six  men,  rather  than  return  to  the  command,  be- 
cause I  feared  they  would  see  us  as  we  went  back  and  then  they 
would  get  away  from  us  entirely.  I  asked  the  men  if  they  were 
willing  to  attempt  it,  and  they  replied  that  they  would  follow  me 
wherever  I  would  lead  them.  That  was  the  kind  of  spirit  that 
pleased  me,  and  we  immediately  moved  forward  on  tlie  enemy^ 
getting  as  close  to  them  as  possible  without  being  seen. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL. 


251 


I  finally  gave  the  signal  to  charge,  and  we  dashed  into  the  little 
camp  with  a  yell.     Five  Indians  sprang  out  of  a  willow  tepee, 


INDIAN    HIDING    HIS    TRAIL. 


and  greeted  us  with  a  volley,  and  we  returned  the  fire.  I  was 
riding  Buckskin  Joe,  who  with  a  few  jumps  brought  me  up  to  the 
tepee,  followed  by  my  men.     We  nearly  ran  over  the  Indians 


252  STORY   OF   THE  WILD   WEST. 

who  were  endeavoring  to  reach  their  horses  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  creek.  Just  as  one  was  jumping  the  narrow  stream  a  bullet 
from  my  old  *'  Lucretia  "  overtook  him.  He  never  reached  the 
other  bank,  but  dropped  dead  in  the  water.  Those  of  the  Indians 
who  were  guarding  the  horses,  seeing  what  was  going  on  at  the 
camp,  came  rushing  to  the  rescue  of  their  friends.  I  now  counted 
thirteen  braves,  but  as  we  had  already  disposed  of  two,  we  had 
only  eleven  to  take  care  of.  The  odds  were  nearly  two  to  one 
against  us. 

A  SHARP  FIGHT  —  WOUNDED. 

While  the  Indian  re-enforcements  were  approaching  the  camp  I 
jumped  the  creek  with  Buckskin  Joe  to  meet  them,  expecting 
our  party  would  follow  me ;  but  as  they  could  not  induce  their 
horses  to  make  the  leap,  I  was  the  only  one  who  got  over.  I 
ordered  the  sergeant  to  dismount  his  men,  leaving  one  to  hold 
the  horses,  and  come  over  with  the  rest  and  help  me  drive  tJie  In^ 
dians  off.  Before  they  could  do  this,  two  mounced  warriors 
closed  in  en  me  and  were  shooting  at  short  range.  I  returned 
their  fire  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  one  of  them  fall  from 
his  horse.  At  this  moment  I  felt  blood  trickling  down  my  fore- 
head, and  hastily  running  my  hand  through  my  hair  I  discovered 
that  I  had  received  a  scalp  wound.  The  Indian,  who  had  shot  me, 
was  not  more  than  ten  yards  away,  and  when  he  saw  his  partner 
tumble  from  his  saddle  he  turned  to  run. 

By  this  time  the  soldiers  had  crossed  the  creek  to  assist  me, 
and  were  blazing  away  at  the  other  Indians.  Urging  Buckskin 
Joe  forward,  I  was  soon  alongside  of  the  chap  who  had  wounded 
me,  when  raising  myself  in  the  stirrups  I  shot  him  through  the 
head. 

The  reports  of  our  guns  had  been  heard  by  Captain  Meinhold, 
who  at  once  started  with  his  company  up  the  creek  to  our  aid, 
and  when  the  remaining  Indians,  whom  we  were  still  fighting, 
saw  these  re-enforcements  coming,  they  whirled  their  horses  and 
fled;  as  their  SLceds  were  quite  fresh  they  made  their  escape. 
However,  we  killed  six  out  of  the  thirteen  Indiana,  and  captured 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL. 


253 


Our  loss  was  one  man  killed,  and 
wounded.      One    of    our   horses 


most  of  their  stolen  stock, 
another  —  myself  —  slightly 
was    killed,  and 
Buckskin  Joe  was 
wounded,    but     I 
didn't  discover  the 
fact  until    some   ; 
time  afterwards,  ^ 
a  s  h  e   had    been  | 
shot  in  the  breast  *^' 
and    showed    no  kJ?;-' 
signs    of     having 
received  a  scratch  ^  | 
of    any    k i n d .  ^ r^J 
Securing    the  ^ 
scalps  of  the  dead  I 
Indians  and  other  r 
trophies    w  e     re-  j 
turned  to  the  foit.  ^ 
I  made  several  | 
other   scouts  dur-  ^ 
ing    the    summer  ^ 
with    different  ^ 
officers    of    the  ^ 
Third  Cavalry,  P 
one     being   with  ^ 
Maj.  Alick  Moore,  F 
a  good  officer,  with  g  ' 
whom   I  was  out 
for    thirty    days. 
Another  long  one 
was    with    Major 
Curtis,  with  whom 
I  followed    some 
Indians  from  the   South  Platte  river  to  Fort  Randall  on   the 
Missouri  river,  in  Dakota,  on  which  trip  the  command  ran  out  of 


254  STORY   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

rations  and  for  fifteen  days  subsisted  entirely  upon  the  game  we 
killed. 

HUNTING  WITH  AN   EARL. 

In  the  fall  of  1872  the  Earl  of  Dunraven  and  Dr.  Kingsley, 
with  several  friends,  came  to  Fort  McPherson  with  a  letter  from 
General  Sheridan,  asking  me  to  accompany  them  on  an  elk  hunt. 
I  did  so,  and  afterwards  spent  several  weeks  in  hunting  with  the 
Earl  of  Dunraven,  who  was  a  thorough  sportsman  and  an  excel- 
lent hunter.  It  was  while  I  was  out  with  the  Earl  that  a 
Chicago  party  —  friends  of  General  Sheridan  —  arrived  at  Fort 
McPherson  for  the  purpose  of  going  out  on  a  hunt  also.  They, 
too,  had  a  letter  from  the  General  requesting  me  to  go  with  them. 
The  Earl  had  not  yet  finished  his  hunt,  but  as  I  had  been  out 
with  him  for  several  weeks,  and  he  had  by  this  time  learned 
where  to  find  plenty  of  elks  and  other  game,  I  concluded  to  leave 
him  and  accompany  the  Chicago  party.  I  informed  him  of  my 
intention  and  gave  him  my  reasons  for  going,  at  the  same  time 
telling  him  I  would  send  him  one  of  my  scouts,  Texas  Jack,  who 
was  a  good  hunter,  and  would  be  glad  to  accompany  him.  The 
Earl  seemed  to  be  somewhat  offended  at  this,  and  I  don't  think 
he  has  ever  forgiven  me  for  **  going  back  on  him."  Let  that 
be  as  it  may,  he  found  Texas  Jack  a  splendid  hunter  and  guide, 
and  Jack  was  his  guide  on  several  hunts  afterwards. 

Among  the  gentlemen  who  composed  the  Chicago  party  were 
E.  P.  Green,  —  son-in-law  of  Remington,  the  rifle  manufactur- 
er,—  Alexander  Sample,  Mr.  Milligan,  of  the  firm  of  Heath  & 
Milligan,  of  Chicago,  and  several  others,  whose  names  I  do  not 
now  remember.  Mr.  Milligan  was  a  man  full  of  life,  and  was 
continually  **  boiling  over  with  fun."  He  was  a  regular  veloci- 
pede, so  to  speak,  and  was  here,  there,  and  everywhere.  He 
was  exceedingly  desirous  of  having  an  Indian  fight  on  the  trip, 
not  that  he  was  naturally  a  blood-thirsty  man,  but  just  for  variety 
he  wanted  a  little  *'  Indian  pie."  He  was  in  every  respect  the 
life  of  the  party,  during  the  entire  time  that  we  were  out.  One 
(lay  while  he  was  hunting  with  Sample  and  myself  we  came  in 
sight  of  a  band  of  thirty  mnui>ted  Indians, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  255 

**  Milligan,  here's  what  you've  been  wanting  for  some  time," 
said  I,  **  for  yonder  is  a  war  party  of  Indians  and  no  mistake; 
and  they'll  come  for  us,  you  bet." 

*'  1  don't  believe  this  is  one  of  my  fighting  days,"  replied  Mil- 
ligan, *'  and  it  occurs  to  me  that  I  have  urgent  business  at  the 
camp." 

A    PARTY   WHICH   MILLIGAN    REFUSED  TO    ATTEND. 

Our  camp  was  five  or  six  miles  distant  on  the  Dismal  river, 
and  our  escort  consisted  of  a  company  of  cavalry  commanded  by 
Captain  Russell.  The  soldiers  were  in  camp,  and  Milligan 
thought  that  Captain  Russell  ought  to  be  at  once  notified  of  the 
appearance  of  these  Indians.  Knowing  that  we  could  reach  the 
camp  in  safety,  for  we  were  well  mounted,  I  continued  to  have 
considerable  amusement  at  Milligan's  expense,  who  finally  said: 

**  Cody,  what's  making  my  hat  raise  up  so.  I  can  hardly  keep 
it  on  my  head." 

Sample,  who  was  as  cool  as  a  cucumber,  said  to  Milligan: 
*«  There  must  be  something  wrong  with  your  hair.  It  must  be 
trying  to  get  on  end." 

**  It's  all  very  fine  for  you  fellows  to  stand  here  and  talk," 
replied  Milligan,  ''  but  I  am  not  doing  justice  to  my  family  by 
remaming.  Sample,  I  think  we  are  a  couple  of  old  fools  to  have 
come  out  here,  and  I  never  would  have  done  so  if  it  had  not 
been  for  you." 

By  this  time  the  Indians  had  discovered  us  and  were  holding  a 
consultation,  and  Milligan  turned  his  horse  in  the  direction  of  the 
camp.  I  never  believed  that  he  was  half  as  scared  as  he  seemed 
to  be,  but  that  he  was  merely  pretending  so  that  we  could  enjoy 
our  joke.  However,  we  did  not  wait  any  longer,  but  rode  into 
camp  and  notified  Captain  Russell,  who  immediately  started  with 
his  company  to  pursue  the  band.  While  we  were  riding  along 
with  the  company  Milligan  said  to  Sample:  *<  Now,  Alick,  let 
them  come  on.  We  may  yet  go  back  to  Chicago  covered  with 
glory." 

We  struck  the  trail  going  north .  but  as  we  had  not  come  oui 


256  STORY   OF  THE  WILD   WEST. 

on  a  scout  for  Indians,  we  concluded  not  to  follow  them;  al« 
though  Milligan  was  now  very  anxious  to  proceed  and  clean  them 
out.  The  hunt  cam«  to  an  end  in  a  day  or  two,  and  we  escorted  the 
visiting  sportsmen  to  North  Platte,  where  they  took  the  train  for 
Chicago.  Before  their  departure  they  extended  to  me  a  very 
cordial  invitation  to  come  to  their  city  on  a  visit,  promising  that 
I  should  be  well  taken  care  of. 

ROPING  A  BUFFALO. 

Soon  after  this  I  had  the  pleasure  of  guiding  a  party  of  gen- 
tlemen from  Omaha  on  a  bufPalo  hunt.     Among  the  number 


INDIAN 

were  Judge  Dundy,  Colonel  Watson  B.  Smith,  and  U.  S.  Dis- 
trict Attorney  Neville.  We  left  Fort  McPherson  in  good  trim. 
I  was  greatly  amused  at  the  *'  style  "  of  Mr.  Neville,  who  wore 
a  stove-pipe  hat  and  a  swallow  tail  coat,  which  made  up  a  very 
comical  rig  for  a  buffalo  hunter.  As  we  galloped  over  the  prai- 
rie, he  jammed  his  hat  down  over  his  ears  to  keep  it  from  being 
shaken  off  his  head,  and  in  order  to  stick  to  his  horse,  he  clung 
to  the  pommel  of  his  saddle.  He  was  not  much  of  a  rider,  and 
he  went  bouncing  up  and  down,  with  his  swallow-tails  flopping 
in  the  air.  The  sight  I  shall  never  forget,  for  it  was  enough  to 
make  a  **  horse  laugh,"  and  I  actually  believe  old  Buckskin  Jot 
did  laugh. 

However,  we  had  a  splendid  hunt,  and  on  the  second  day  I 


KIOWA   ANNIE, 
NOTED  INDIAN  BEAUTY. 


Photo  by  Drake. 


"""™TliiiiSi«  iMr..irlK 


l«NKM1T 


>  WCST 


^     A  fellow  prince  among  the  kings, 
a  sovereign  by  the  right 


vvixu  la  uiAo  gallant  cavalier  '^^     "^^     Where  the  altars  of  the  Druids 

that  rides  in  from  the  West?  and  ancient  abbeys  lie. 


%■ 


•*^*,-«<.»,^**- 


He  drove  the  bronze  barbarians 
into  the  setting  sun. 


By  the  Tiber,  'neath  the  shadow 
of  St.  Peter's  lofty  dome, 


^SiA 


'^i  ■• ,  x.-^^.taiiskife^ 


'Mong  the  willows  by  the  river,     '^<^W      '^^ng  potentates  and  powers, 
on  mesa,  hill  and  plain,  ^'/^ '        in  the  cities  of  the  kings, 


%< 

f  ^.*". 
M^    j:.^ 


— c;;^ 


LUiM. 


He  led  toward  the  Orient 
his  motley,  nomad  throng, 


When  by  this  mighty  inland  sea 
the  vast  White  City  gleamed. 


j^i^m-S^xn^ 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  257 

lariated,  or  roped,  a  big  buffalo  bull  and  tied  him  to  a  tree,  —  a 
feat  which  I  had  often  performed,  and  which  the  gentlemen  re- 
quested me  to  do  on  this  occasion  for  their  beoefit,  as  they  had 
heard  of  my  skill  with  the  lariat.  I  captured  several  other  buf- 
faloes in  the  same  way.  The  gentlemen  returned  to  Omaha  well 
pleased  with  their  hunt. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1872,  a  convention  was  held  at  Grand 
Island,  when  some  of  my  friends  made  me  their  candidate  to  re- 
present the  Twenty-sixth  District  in  the  Legislature  of  Nebraska; 
but  as  I  had  always  been  a  Democrat  and  the  State  was  largely 
Republican,  I  had  no  idea  of  being  elected.  In  fact  I  cared  very 
little  about  it,  and  therefore  made  no  effort  whatever  to  secure 
an  election.  However,  I  was  elected  and  that  is  the  way  in 
which  I  acquired  my  title  of  Honorable. 


258  STORY   OF   THE    WILD    WEST. 


CHAPTER    XX. 


AN   ACTOR, 


M  r\  V<URING  the  summer  and  fall  of  1872, 1  received 
(^  numerous  letters  from  Ned  Buntline,  urging  me 
to  come  East  and  go  upon  the  stage  to 
represent  my  own  character .  *  *  There' s 
money  in  it,"  he  wrote,  **  and  you  will 
prove  a  big  card,  as  your  character  is  a 
novelty  on  the  stage." 
At  times  I  almost  determined  to 
make  the  venture ;  but  the  recollection  of  that  night  when  I 
stood  on  the  stage  of  the  Bowery  Theater  and  was  unable  to 
utter  a  word  above  a  whisper,  would  cause  me  to  stop  and  think 
and  become  irresolute.  I  feared  that  I  would  be  a  total 
failure,  and  wrote  Buntline  to  that  effect.  But  he  insisted 
that  I  would  soon  get  over  all  that  embarrassment,  and  become 
accustomed  to  the  stage,  so  that  I  would  think  no  more  of  ap- 
pearing before  five  thousand  people  than  I  would  before  half  a 
dozen.  He  proposed  to  organize  a  good  company,  and  wished 
me  to  meet  him  in  Chicago,  where  the  opening  performance 
would  be  given. 

1  remained  undecided  as  to  what  I  ought  to  do.  The  officers 
at  the  fort,  as  well  as  my  family  and  friends  to  whom  I  had  men- 
tioned the  matter,  laughed  at  the  idea  of  my  ever  becoming  an 
actor.  That  I,  an  old  scout  who  had  never  seen  more  than  twenty 
or  thirty  theatrical  performances  in  my  life,  should  think  of  go- 
ing upon  the  stage,  was  ridiculous  in  the  extreme  —  so  they  all 
said. 

A  few  days  after  my  election  to  the  Legislature  a  happy  event 
occurred  in  my  family  circle,  in  the  birth  of  a  daughter  whom 
we  named  Ora ;  about  the  same  time  I  received  another  letter 
from  Buntline,  in  which  he  requested  me  to  appear  on  the  stage 
for  a  few  months  as  an  experiment;  and  he  said  that  if  I  made 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL. 


259 


a  failure  or  did  not  like  the  business,  I  could  easily  return  to  my 
old  life. 

My  two  sisters  who  had  been  living  with  us  had  married  — 
Nellie,  to  A.  C.  Jester,  a  cattle  man,  and  May,  to  Ed.  Bradford, 
a  railroad  engineer  —  and  consequently  left  us;  and  my  wife 
had  been  wishing  for  a  long  time  to  visit  her  parents  in  St. 
Louis.  Taking  these  and  other  things  into  consideration  I  finally 
resolved  to  resign  my  seat  in  the  Legislature  and  try  my  luck 
behind  the  foot-lights. 
I  informed  General  Rey- 
nolds of  my  determina- 
tion, telling  him  at  the 
same  time  that  at  the  end 
of  the  month,  November, 
I  would  resign  my  posi- 
tion under  him.  The 
General  regretted  to  hear 
this,  and  advised  me  not 
to  take  the  step,  for  I 
was  leaving  a  comfort- 
able little  home,  where  J 
was  sure  of  making  a 
good  living  for  my 
family;  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  I  was  em- 
barking upon  a  sea  of 
uncertainty.      Having  texas  jack  (j.  b.  omohundro). 

once  made  up  my  mind,  however,  nothing  could  change  it. 

ARRANGING  THE  PRELIMINARIES. 

While  I  was  selling  my  horses  and  other  effects,  preparatory 
to  leaving  the  fort,  one  of  my  brother  scouts,  Texas  Jack,  said 
he  would  like  to  accompany  me.  Now  as  Jack  had  also  appeared 
as  the  hero  in  one  of  Ned  Buntline's  stories,  I  thought  that  he 
would  make  as  good  a  **  star  "  as  myself,  and  it  was  accordingly 
arranged  tha*  Jack  should  go  with  me.     On  our  way  east  we 


260  STORY    OF   THE    WILD    WEST. 

stopped  in  Omaha  a  day  or  two  to  visit  General  Augur  and  other 
officers,  and  also  the  gentlemen  who  were  out  on  the  Judge 
Dundy  Hunt.  Judge  Dundy  and  his  friends  gave  a  dinner  party 
in  my  honor  at  the  leading  restaurant  and  entertained  me  very 
handsomely  during  my  stay  in  the  city. 

At  Omaha  I  parted  with  my  family,  who  went  to  St.  Louis, 
while  Jack  and  myself  proceeded  to  Chicago.  Ned  Buntline  and 
Mr.  Milligan,  having  been  apprised  of  our  coming  by  a  telegram, 
met  us  at  the  depot.  Mr.  Milligan  accompanied  us  to  the  Sher- 
man house,  where  he  had  made  arrangements  for  us  to  be  his 
guests  while  we  remained  in  the  city.  I  didn't  see  much  of 
Buntline  that  evening,  as  he  hurried  off  to  deliver  a  temperance 
lecture  in  one  of  the  public  halls.  The  next  day  w^e  met  him  by 
appointment,  and  the  first  thing  he  said,  was:  — 

"  Boys,  are  you  ready  for  business?  " 

"I  can't  answer  that,"  replied  I,  **  for  we  don't  know  what 
we  are  going  to  do." 

*'It's  all  arranged,"  said  he,  «*  and  you'll  have  no  trouble 
whatever.  Come  with  me.  We'll  go  and  see  Nixon,  manager 
of  the  Amphitheater.  That's  the  place  where  we  are  to  play. 
We'll  open  there  next  Mx)nday  night."  Jack  and  myself  ac- 
cordingly accompanied  him  to  Manager  Nixon's  office  without 
saying  a  word,  as  we  didn't  know  what  to  say. 

*«Here  we  are,  Mr.  Nixon,"  said  Buntline;  "here  are  the 
stars  for  you.  Here  are  the  boys ;  and  they  are  a  fine  pair  to 
draw  to.     Now,  Nixon,  I  am  prepared  for  business." 

Nixon  and  Buntline  had  evidently  had  a  talk  about  the  terms 
of  our  engagement.  Buntline,  it  seems,  was  to  furnish  the  com- 
pany, the  drama,  and  the  pictorial  printing,  and  was  to  receive 
sixty  per  cent,  of  the  gross  receipts  for  his  share ;  while  Nixon 
was  to  furnish  the  theater,  the  attaches,  the  orchestra,  and  the 
local  printing,  and  receive  forty  per  cent,  of  the  gross  receipts. 

NOW,  here's  a  how  d'do. 

<*  I  am  ready  for  you,  Buntline.  Have  you  got  your  company 
yet?   '  asked  Nixon. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    UUFFAi.O    BILL.  261 

•*No,  sir;  but  there  are  plenty  of  idle  theatrical  people  in 
toivn,  and  I  can  raise  a  company  in  two  houra,'*  was  his  reply. 

"You  haven't  much  time  to  spare,  if  you  open  on  Monday 
night,'*  said  Nixon.  **  If  you  will  allow  me  to  look  at  youi 
drama,  to  see  what  kind  of  people  you  want,  I'll  assist  you  in 
organizing  your  company." 

**  I  have  not  yet  written  the  drama,"  said  Buntline. 

**  What  the  deuce  do  you  mean?  This  is  Wednesday,  and  you 
propose  to  open  on  next  Monday  night.  The  idea  is  ridiculous. 
Here  you  are  at  this  late  hour  without  a  company  and  without  a 
disma.  This  will  never  do,  Buntline.  I  shall  have  to  break  my 
"jontract  with  you,  for  you  can't  possibly  write  a  drama,  cast  it, 
.  nd  rehearse  it  properly  for  Monday  night.  Furthermore,  you 
have  no  pictorial  printing  as  yet.  These  two  gentlemen,  whom 
you  have  with  you,  have  never  been  on  the  stage,  and  they  cer- 
tainly must  have  time  to  study  their  parts.  It  is  preposterous  to 
think  of  opening  on  Monday  night,  and  I'll  cancel  the  engage- 
ment." 

This  little  speech  was  delivered  in  rather  an  excited  manner  by 
Mr.  Nixon.  Buntline  said  that  he  would  write  the  drama  that 
day  and  also  select  his  company  and  have  them  at  the  theater  for 
rehearsal  next  morning.  Nixon  laughed  at  him,  and  said  there 
was  no  use  of  trying  to  undertake  anything  of  the  kind  in  so 
short  a  time  —  it  was  utterly  impossible  to  do  it.  Buntline, 
whose  ire  was  rising,  said  to  Nixon:  '*  What  rent  will  you  ask 
for  your  theater  for  next  week?  " 

"  Six  hundred  dollars,"  was  the  reply. 

*«  Well,  sir,  I'll  take  your  theater  for  next  week  at  that  price, 
and  here  is  half  the  amount  in  advance,"  said  Buntline,  as  he 
threw  down  three  hundred  dollars  on  the  stand.  Nixon  took  the 
money,  gave  a  receipt  for  it,  and  had  nothing  more  to  say. 

**  Now,  come  with  me  boys,"  said  Buntline,  and  away  we  went 
to  the  hotel.  Buntline  immediately  obtained  a  supply  of  pens, 
ink  and  paper,  and  then  engaged  all  the  hotel  clerks  as  penmen. 
In  less  than  an  hour  after  he  had  rented  the  theater,  he  was  dash- 
ing off  page  aftcT*  nage  of  his  proposed  drama — the  work  being 


262 


STORY  OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 


done  in  his  room  at  the  hotel.  He  then  set  his  clerks  at  copying 
for  him,  and  at  the  end  of  four  hours  he  jumped  up  from  the 
table,  and  enthusiastically  shouted ;  *' Hurrah  for  'The  Scouts 
of  the  Plains  I '  That's  the  name  of  the  play.  The  work  is 
done.     Hurrah  I  ** 

The  parts  were  then  copied  off  separately  by  the  clerks,  and 
handing  us  our  respective  portions  Buntline  said:  *'  Now,  boys, 
go  to  work,  and  do  your  level  best  to  have  this  dead-letter  per- 
fect for  the  rehearsal,  which  takes  place  to-morrow  morning  at  ten 

o'  clock ,  prompt .  I  want  to  show 
Nixon  that  we'll  be  ready  on 
time." 

I  looked  at  my  part  and  then 
at  Jack ;  and  Jack  looked  at  his 
part  and  then  at  mo.  Then  we 
looked  at  each  other,  and  then 
at  Buntline.  We  did  not  know 
what  to  make  of  the  man, 

"  How  long  will  it  take  to 
commit  your  part  to  memory. 
Bill?"  asked  Jack. 

''  About  six  months,  as  near 
as  I  can  calculate.  How  long 
will  it  take  you  ? ' '  answered  I . 

**  It  will  take  me  about  that 

length  of  time  to  learn  the  first 

line,"  said  Jack.     Nevertheless 

we  went  to  our  room  and  com- 

I  thought  it  was  the  hardest  work  I  had  ever 


STUDYING    THE    PARTS. 


menced  studying 
done. 

*«  This  is  dry  business,"  finally  remarked  Jack. 

*«  That's  just  what  it  is,"  I  answered  ;  «<  jerk  the  bell,  Jack." 
The  bell-boy  soon  appeared.  We  ordered  refreshments;  after 
partaking  thereof  we  resumed  our  task.  We  studied  hard  for 
an  hour  or  two,  but  finally  gave  it  up  as  a  bad  job,  although  we 
had  succeeded  in  committing,  a  small  portion  to  memory.     Bunt- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  263 

line  now  came  into  the  room  and  said:  **Boy8,  hoiv  are  you 
getting  along?  ** 

*'  I  guess  we'll  have  to  go  back  on  this  studying  business  as  it 
isn't  our /or^e,"  said  I. 

**  Don't  weaken  now,  Bill ;  you'll  come  out  on  the  top  of  the 
heap  yet.  Let  me  hear  you  recite  your  part,"  said  Buntline.  I 
began  **  spouting  "  what  I  had  learned,  but  was  interrupted  by 
Buntline:  '*Tut!  tut!  you're  not  saying  it  right.  You  must 
stop  at  the  cue." 

*'  Cue  I  What  the  mischief  do  you  mean  by  the  cue?  I  never 
saw  any  cue  except  in  a  billiard  room,"  said  I.  Buntline  there- 
upon explained  it  to  me,  as  well  as  to  Jack,  who  was  ignorant 
as  myself  concerning  the  '*  cue  "  business. 

'*  Jack,  I  think  we  had  better  back  out  and  go  to  hunting 
again,"  said  I. 

THE  TIDE  TAKEN  AT  THE  FLOOD. 

**  See  here,  boys;  it  won't  do  to  go  back  on  me  at  this  stage 
of  the  game.  Stick  to  it,  and  it  may  be  the  turning  point  in 
your  lives  and  lead  you  on  to  fortune  and  to  fame." 

**  A  fortune  is  what  we  are  after,  and  we'll  at  least  give  the 
wheel  a  turn  or  two  to  see  what  luck  we  have,"  said  I.  This 
satisfied  Buntline,  but  we  didn't  study  any  more  after  he  left  us. 
The  next  morning  we  appeared  at  rehearsal  and  was  introduced 
to  the  company.  The  first  rehearsal  was  hardly  a  success  ;  and 
the  succeeding  ones  were  not  much  better.  The  stage  manager 
did  his  best  to  teach  Jack  and  myself  what  to  do,  but  when 
Monday  night  come  we  didn't  know  much  more  about  it  than 
when  we  began. 

The  clock  struck  seven,  and  then  we  put  on  our  buckskin  suits, 
which  were  the  costumes  we  were  to  appear  in.  The  theater 
was  being  rapidly  filled,  and  it  was  evident  that  we  were  going 
to  make  our  debut  before  a  packed  house.  As  the  minutes  passed 
by.  Jack  and  I  became  more  and  more  nervous.  We  occasionally 
looked  through  the  holes  m  the  curtain,  and  saw  that  the  people 


264 


STORY    OF   THE    WILD    WEST. 


When  at  length  the  curtain  arose,  our  courage  had  returned, 
80  that  we  thought  we  could  face  the  immense  crowd  ;  yet  when 
the  time  came  for  us  to  go  on,  we  were  rather  slow  in  making 
our  appearance.  As  we  stepped  forth  we  were  received  with  a 
storm  of  applause,  which  we  acknowledged  with  a  bow. 

Buntline,  who  was  taking  the  part  of  **  Cale  Durg,"  appeared, 
and  gave  me  the  **  cue  "  to  speak  "  my  little  piece,''  but  for  the 
life  of  me  I  could  not  remember  a  single  word.     Buntline  saw  I 


BEHIND   THE    FOOTLIGHTS. 

was  *'  stuck,"  and  a  happy  thought  occurred  to  him.     He  said, 
as  if  it  were  in  the  play : 

A    LITTLE    FUNNY    BUSINESS. 

*'  Where  have  you  been,  Bill?  What  has  kept  you  so  long?  " 
Just  then  my  eye  happened  to  fall  on  Mr.  Milligan,  who  was 
surrounded  by  his  friends,  the  newspaper  reporters,  and  several 
military  officers,  all  of  whom  had  heard  of  his  hunt  and  **  Indian 
fight" — he  being  a  very  popular  man,  and  widely  known  in 
Chicago.     So  I  said;  — 

**  I  have  been  out  on  a  hunt  with  Millisan." 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL,  265 

This  proved  to  be  a  big  hit.  The  audience  cheered  and  ap- 
plauded, which  gave  me  greater  confidence  in  my  ability  to  get 
through  the  performance  all  right.  Buntline,  who  was  a  very  ver- 
satile man,  saw  that  it  would  be  a  good  plan  to  follow  this  up 
and  said:  '*  Well,  Bill,  tell  us  all  about  the  hunt.*'  I  thereupon 
proceeded  to  relate  in  detail  the  particulars  of  the  affair.  1 
succeeded  in  making  it  rather  funny,  and  I  was  frequently 
interrupted  by  rounds  of  applause.  Whenever  I  began  to 
**  weaken,"  Buntline  would  give  me  a  fresh  start,  by  asking 
some  question.  In  this  way  I  took  up  fifteen  minutes,  without 
once  speaking  a  word  of  my  part ;  nor  did  I  speak  a  word  of  it 
during  the  whole  evening.  The  prompter,  who  was  standing 
between  the  wings,  attempted  to  prompt  me,  but  it  did  no  good; 
for  while  I  was  on  the  stage  I  '*  chipped  in ' '  anything  I  thought  of. 

The  *'  Scouts  of  the  Plains  "  was  an  Indian  drama,  of  course: 
and  there  were  between  forty  and  fifty  *  *  supers ' '  dressed  as  In- 
dians. In  the  fight  with  them.  Jack  and  I  were  at  home.  We 
blazed  away  at  each  other  with  blank  cartridges ;  and  when  the 
scene  ended  in  a  hand-to-hand  encounter  —  a  general  knock- 
down  and  drag-out  —  the  way  Jack  and  I  killed  Indians  was  **  a 
caution.'*  Wo  would  kill  them  all  off  in  one  act,  but  they 
would  come  up  again  ready  for  business  in  the  next.  Finally 
the  curtain  dropped,  the  play  was  ended,  and  I  congratulated 
Jack  and  myself  on  having  made  such  a  brilliant  and  successful 
debut.     There  was  no  backing  out  after  that. 

CRITICISMS    OF   THE   TRESS. 

The  next  morning  there  appeared  in  the  Chicago  papers  some 
funny  criticisms  on  our  first  performance.  The  papers  gave  us  a 
better  send-off  than  I  expected,  for  they  did  not  criticise  us  as 
actors.  The  Chicago  Times  said  that  if  Buntline  had  actually 
spent  four  hours  in  writing  that  play,  it  was  difficult  for  anyone 
to  see  what  he  had  been  doing  all  the  time.  Buntline,  as  **  Cale 
Durg,"  was  killed  in  the  second  act,  after  a  long  temperance 
8pe<^ch;  and  the  Inter-Ocean  said  that  it  was  to  be  regretted 
that  he  bad  not  been  killed  in  the  first  act.     The  company,  how- 


266  STORY   OP   THE    WILD   WEST. 

ever,  was  very  good,  and  M'dlle.  Morlacchi,  as  **Pale  Dove," 
particularly  fine;  while  Miss  Cafarno  **  spouted*'  a  poem  of 
some  seven  hundred  and  three  verses,  more  or  less,  of  which 
the  reader  will  be  glad  to  know  that  I  only  recall  the  words  '« I 
was  born  in  March." 

Our  engagement  proved  a  decided  success  financially,  if  not 
artistically.  Nixon  was  greatly  surprised  at  the  result,  and  at 
the  end  of  the  week  he  induced  Buntline  to  take  him  in  as  a 
partner  in  the  company. 

The  next  week  we  played  at  DeBar's  Opera  House,  in  St. 
Louis,  doing  an  immense  business.  The  following  week  we 
were  at  Cincinnati,  where  the  theater  was  so  crowded  every 
night  that  hundreds  were  unable  to  obtain  admission.  We  met 
with  equal  success  all  over  the  country.  Theatrical  managers, 
upon  hearing  of  this  new  and  novel  combination,  which  was 
drawing  such  tremendous  houses,  were  all  anxious  to  secure  us; 
and  we  received  offers  of  engagements  at  all  the  leading 
theaters.  We  played  one  week  at  the  Boston  Theater,  and  the 
gross  receipts  amounted  to  $16,200.  We  also  appeared  at  Nib- 
lo's  Garden,  New  York,  the  theater  being  crowded  to  its  utmost 
capacity  every  night  of  the  engagement.  At  the  Arch  Street 
Theater,  Philadelphia,  it  was  the  same  way.  There  was  not  a 
single  city  where  we  did  not  have  crowded  houses. 

We  closed  our  tour  on  the  16th  of  June,  1873,  at  Port  Jervis, 
New  York,  and  when  I  counted  up  my  share  of  the  profits  I 
found  that  I  was  only  about  $6,000  ahead.  I  was  somewhat  dis- 
appointed, for,  judging  from  our  large  business,  I  certainly  had 
expected  a  greater  sum. 

Texas  Jack  and  myself  longed  for  a  hunt  on  the  Western 
prairies  once  more ;  and  on  meeting  in  New  York  a  party  of  gen- 
tlemen who  were  desirous  of  going  with  us,  we  all  started  west- 
ward, and  after  a  pleasant  trip  arrived  at  Fort  McPherson. 

LIVELY   EXPERIENCES   OF   WILD   BILL. 

Texas  Jack  and  I  spent  several  weeks  hunting  in  the  western 
part  of  Nebraska,  and  after  this  pleasant  recreation  we  went  to 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO    BILL. 


267 


New  York  and  organized  a  theatrical  company  for  the  season  of 
1873-74.  Among  the  people  we  engaged  for  our  next  tour  was 
Wild  Bill,  whose  name,  we  knew,  would  be  a  drawing  card. 
Bill  did  not  think  well  of  our  enterprise  on  account  of  our  un- 
familiarity  with  the  stage,  but  a  large  salary  forced  him  to  forego 
his  diffidence  before  the  public,  and  he  accordingly  made  his 
debut  as  an  actor.  He  remained  with  us  during  a  greater  part  of 
the  season,  much  to  our  advantage,  and  would  have  continued 
but  for  a  demoralizing  habit  that  compelled  us  to  part  with 


WILD  bill's  IMPROHIPTU   PERFORMANCE. 

him.  The  habit  to  which  I  refer  was  that  of  firing  blank  cart- 
ridges at  the  legs  of  the  supers,  often  burning  them  severely  and 
at  times  almost  bringing  our  performance  to  a  ridiculous  close. 
I  demonstrated  with  him  time  and  again,  but  all  to  no  purpose, 
and  at  last,  worn  out  with  expostulations,  I  reluctantly  told  him 
he  must  either  quit  shooting  the  supers  or  leave  the  company. 
Without  making  any  reply  he  retired  to  the  dressing  room  and 
there  changing  his  clothes  he  elbowed  his  way  out  through  the 
audience,  leaving  word  with  the  stage-carpenter  that  I  could  go 


268  STORY   OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

to  thunder  with  my  show.  I  met  him  later  ia  the  evening  and 
tried  to  persuade  him  to  remain  with  me,  but  to  no  avail,  and 
finding  him  determined  Jack  and  I  paid  him  his  wages  and  gave 
iiim  an  extra  purse  of  $1,000,  with  which  he  bade  us  good- 
bye. 

The  next  I  heard  of  Wild  Bill  was  as  a  star  at  the  head  of  a 
wou  d-be  rival  organization  that  soon  went  to  pieces.  Bill 
left  the  troupe  under  the  belief  that  it  had  disbanded,  but 
he  directly  after  learned  that  the  company  had  reorganized 
and  were  presenting  the  same  play  with  an  actor  personating 
him.  When  Bill  ascertained  this  fact  he  sent  a  letter  to  the 
manager  demanding  that  the  name  of  Wild  Bill  be  stricken  from 
the  advertisements,  but  no  attention  was  paid  to  his  objections. 
Determined  to  stop  the  bogus  exhibition  Bill  went  to  a  town 
where  the  company  was  announced  to  appear  and,  purchasing  a 
ticket,  took  a  seat  near  the  orchestra,  ready  for  business.  When 
the  bogus  character  at  length  appeared  Bill  jumped  over  the  foot- 
lights and  seizing  his  personator,  threw  him  through  one  of  the 
scenes,  and  then  knocked  down  the  manager,  who  was  dressed 
in  the  disguise  of  an  Indian,  and  kicked  him  over  the  lights  and 
onto  the  fellow  who  was  blowing  a  big  horn  in  the  orchestra. 
The  excitement  broke  up  the  performance  and  Bill  was  arrested, 
but  was  let  off  with  a  fine  of  three  dollars,  which  he  cheerfully 
paid  for  so  happy  a  privilege,  after  which  he  went  West  and 
participated  in  several  adventures  of  a  thrilling  character,  a 
description  of  which,  however,  does  not  properly  belong  here, 

A   HUNT  WITH   ME.  MEDLEY. 

Jack  and  I  played  a  very  successful  season,  closing  at  Boston 
on  the  13th  of  May,  1874.  Business  called  me  to  New  York, 
and  while  attending  to  several  matters  preparatory  to  returning 
to  the  West,  I  met  an  English  gentleman,  Thomas  P.  Medley, 
of  London,  who  had  come  to  America  for  a  hunt  on  the  plains. 
He  had  often  heard  of  me  and  was  anxious  to  engage  me  as  his 
guide  and  companion,  and  he  offered  to  pay  the  liberal  salary  of 
one  thousand  dollars  a  month  while  I  was  with  him.     He  was  a 


AUTOBIOGRAPHT   OF   BUFFALO   BILL, 


269 


fery  wealthy  man,  as  I  learned  upon  inquiry,  and  was  a  relative 
of  Mr.  Lord,  of  the  firm  of  Lord  &  Taylor,  of  New  York.  Of 
course  I  accepted  his 
offer. 

When  we  reached 
the  hunting  ground 
in  Nebraska,  he  in- 
formed me,  s  o  m  e- 
wnat  to  my  surprise, 
that  he  did  not  want 
to  go  out  as  Alexis 
did,  with  carriages, 
servants,  and  other 
luxuries,  but  that  he 
wished  to  rough  it 
just  as  I  would  do  — 
to  sleep  on  the 
ground  in  the  open 
air,  and  kill  and  cook 
his  own  meat.  Wo 
started  out  from 
North  Platte,  and 
spent  several  weeks 
in  hunting  all  over 
the  country. 

Mr.  Medley  proved 
to  be  a  very  agree- 
able gentleman  and 
an  excellent  hunter. 
While  in  camp  he 
busied  himself  carry- 
ing wood  and  water, 
attending  to  the  fire, 
and  preparing  and  cooking  the  meals,  never  asking  me  to  do  a 
thing.  He  did  not  perform  these  m  enial  services  to  save  expenses, 
but  because  he  wanted  t>^  do  an  the  other  hunteis  in  the  oarty 


270  STORr   OF   THE  WILD  WEST. 

were  doing.  After  spending  as  much  time  as  he  wished,  we  re- 
tm*ned  to  the  railroad,  and  he  took  the  train  for  the  East.  Every- 
thing that  was  required  on  this  hunt  was  paid  for  ir,  a  most  liberal 
manner  by  Mr.  Medley,  who  also  gave  the  members  of  the  party 
several  handsome  presents. 

About  this  time  an  expedition  consisting  of  seven  companies 
of  cavalry  and  two  companies  of  infantry,  to  be  commanded 
by  Colonel  Mills  of  the  Third  Cavalry,  was  being  organized  to 
scout  the  Powder  river  and  Big  Horn  country,  and  I  was  em- 
ployed as  guide  for  the  command.  Proceeding  to  Eawlins, 
Wyoming,  we  ''outfitted,'*  and  other  guides  were  engaged  — 
among  them  Tom  Sun  and  Bony  Ernest,  two  noted  Rocky 
mountain  scouts.  We  there  left  the  railroad,  and  passing 
through  the  Seminole  range  of  the  Rocky  mountains  we  estab- 
lished our  supply  camp  at  the  foot  of  Independence  Rock  on  the 
Sweet  Water.  I  was  now  on  my  old  familiar  stamping  ground, 
and  it  seemed  like  home  to  me.  Fifteen  years  before,  I  had  rid- 
den the  pony  express  and  driven  the  overland  stages  through 
this  region,  and  the  command  was  going  into  the  same  section  of 
country  where  Wild  Bill's  expedition  of  stage-drivers  and  ex- 
press-riders had  recaptured  from  the  Indians  a  large  number  of 
stolen  stage-horses,  as  previously  related. 

Leaving  the  infantry  to  guard  the  supply  camp.  Colonel  Mills 
struck  out  for  the  north  with  the  seven  companies  of  cavalry, 
and  in  a  few  days  surprised  Little  Wolf's  band  of  Arapahoes  and 
drove  them  into  the  agencies.  We  then  scouted  the  Powder 
river,  Crazy  Woman's  fork,  and  Clear  fork,  and  then  pushed 
westward  through  the  mountains  to  the  Wind  river.  After  hav- 
ing been  out  for  a  month  or  two  we  were  ordered  to  return. 

I  immediately  went  East  and  organized  another  dramatic  com- 
pany tor  the  season  of  1874-75,  Texas  Jack  being  absent  in  the 
Yellowstone  country  hunting  with  the  Earl  of  Dunraven.  I 
played  my  company  in  all  the  principal  cities  of  the  country, 
doing  a  good  business  wherever  I  went.  The  summer  of  1875  I 
spent  at  Rochester  with  my  family. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  271 

DEATH   OF  MY  ONLY  LITTLE  BOY . 

For  the  season  of  1875-76,  Texas  Jack  and  I  reorgamzeu  oui 
old  combination,  and  made  a  very  successful  tour.  While  we 
were  playing  at  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  April  20th  and  21sty 
1876,  a  telegram  was  handed  me  just  as  I  was  going  on  the  stage, 
I  opened  it  and  found  it  to  be  from  Colonel  G.  W.  Torrence,  of 
Rochester,  an  intimate  friend  of  the  family,  who  stated  that  my 
little  boy  Kit  was  dangerously  ill  with  the  scarlet  fever.  This 
was  indeed  sad  news,  for  little  Kit  had  always  been  my  greatest 
pride.  I  sent  for  John  Burke,  our  business  manager,  and  show- 
ing him  the  telegram,  told  him  that  I  would  play  the  first  act, 
and  making  a  proper  excuse  to  the  audience,  I  would  then  take 
the  nine  o'clock  strain  that  same  evening  for  Rochester,  leaving 
him  to  play  out  my  part.  This  I  did,  and  at  ten  o'clock  the 
next  morning  I  arrisred  in  Rochester,  and  was  met  at  the  depot 
by  my  intimate  friend  Moses  Kerngood  who  at  once  drove  me 
to  my  home.  I  found  my  little  boy  unable  to  speak  but  he 
seemed  to  recognize  me  and  putting  his  little  arms  around  my 
neck  he  tried  to  kiss  me.  We  did  everything  in  our  power  tc 
save  him,  but  it  was  of  no  avail.  The  Lord  claimed  his  own, 
and  that  evening  at  six  o'clock  my  beloved  little  Kit  died  in  my 
arms.  We  laid  him  away  to  rest  in  the  beautiful  cemetery  ot 
Mount  Hope  amid  sorrow  and  tears. 


272 


STOBY  OP  THE  WILD  WEST. 


CHAPTER    XXI, 


SCOUTING  WITH  THE  FIFTH  CAVALRY. 


closed  our  theatrical  seasoTi 
earlier  than  usual  in  the 
spring  of  1876,  because  I 
was  anxious  to  take  part  in 
the  Sioux  war  ^hich 
was  then  breaking  out. 
Colonel  Mills  had  writ- 
ten me  several  letters  say- 
ing that  General  Crook  was 
anxious  to  have  me  accom- 
pany his  comii^and,  and  I 
promised  to  do  so,  mtending  to  overtake  him  in  the  Powdei 
river  country.  But  when  I  arrived  at  Chicago,  on  my  way 
west,  I  learned  that  my  old  regiment,  the  gallant  Fifth  Cavalry, 
was  on  its  way  back  from  Arizona  to  join  General  Crook,  and 
that  my  old  commander.  General  Carr,  was  in  command.  He 
had  written  to  military  headquarters  at  Chicago  to  learn  my 
whereabouts,  as  he  wished  to  secure  me  as  his  guide  and  chief 
of  scouts.  I  then  gave  up  the  idea  of  overtaking  General  Crook, 
and  hastening  on  to  Cheyenne,  whe^e  the  Fifth  Cavalry  had  al- 
ready arrived,  I  was  met  at  the  depot  by  Lieutenant  King,  adju- 
tant of  the  regiment,  he  having  been  sent  down  from  Fort  D. 
A.  Russell  for  that  purpose  by  General  Carr,  who  had  learned 
by  a  telegram  from  military  headquarters  at  Chicago  that  I  was 
on  the  way.  I  accompanied  the  lieutenant  on  horseback  to  the 
camp,  and  as  we  rode,  one  of  the  boys  shouted,  *'  Here's  Buffalo 
Bill!*'  Soon  after  there  came  three  hearty  cheers  from  the 
regiment.  Officers  and  men  were  all  glad  to  see  me,  and  I  was 
equally  delighted  to  meet  them  once  more.  The  General  at 
once  appointed  me  his  guide  and  chief  of  ecouts. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   BUFFALO  BILL 


273 


The  next  morning  the  command  pulled  out  for  Fort  Laramie, 
and  on  reaching  the  post  we  found  General  Sheridan  there,  ac- 
companied by  General  Frye  and  General  Forsyth,  en  route  to  Eed 
Cloud  agency.    As  the  command  was  to  remain  here  a  few  days. 


INDIANS     DESTROYING 
THE   TELEGRAPH   LINE. 

I  accompanied  General 
Sheridan  to  Red  Cloud 
and  back,  taking  a  com- 
pany of  cavalry  as 
escort. 

The  Indians  having  recently  committed  a  great  many  depreda- 
tions on  the  Union  Pacific  railroad,  destroying  telegraph  lines, 
and  also  on  the  Black  Hills  road  running  off  stock,  the  Fifth 
Cavalry  was  sent  out  to  scout  the  country  between  the  Indian 
agencies  and  the  hills.  The  command  operated  oi.  'ciiC  South 
fork  of  the  Cheyenne  and  at  the  foot  of  the  Black  Hills  for 
about  two  weeks,  having  several  small  engagements  with  roving 


274  STORY  OF  THE   WILD  WEST. 

bands  of  Indians  during  the  time.  General  Wesley  Merritt-^ 
who  had  lately  received  his  promotion  to  the  Colonelcy  of  the 
Fifth  Cavalry  —  now  came  out  and  took  control  of  the  regiment. 
I  was  sorry  that  the  command  was  taken  from  General  Carr, 
because  under  him  it  had  made  its  fighting  reputation.  How- 
ever, upon  becoming  acquainted  with  General  Merritt,  I  found 
him  to  be  an  excellent  officer. 

REPORT  OF  THE  CUSTER  MASSACRE  AND  CAUSES  LEADING  THERETO. 

The  regiment,  by  continued  scouting,  soon  drove  the  Indians 
tut  of  that  section  of  the  country,  as  we  supposed,  and  we  had 
started  on  our  way  back  to  Fort  Laramie,  when  a  scout  arrived 
at  the  camp  and  reported  the  massacre  of  General  Custer  and  his 
band  of  heroes  on  the  Little  Big  Horn,  on  the  25th  of  June,  1876  ; 
and  he  also  brought  orders  to  General  Merritt  to  proceed  at  once 
to  Fort  Fetterman  and  join  General  Crook  in  the  Big  Horn  county. 

The  extraordinary  and  sorrowful  interest  attaching  to  the  de- 
stvuction  of  Custer  and  his  brave  followers,  felt  by  the  whole 
civilized  world,  prompts  me  to  give  herewith  a  brief  description 
of  the  causes  leading  thereto,  and  some  of  the  details  of  that 
horrible  sacrifice  which  so  melts  the  heart  to  pity. 

When  the  Black  Hills  gold  fever  first  broke  out  in  1874,  a 
ru.3h  of  miners  into  that  country  resulted  in  much  trouble,  as  the 
Indians  always  regarded  that  region  with  jealous  interest,  and 
resisted  all  encroachments  of  white  men.  Instead  of  the  Gov- 
ernment adhering  to  the  treaty  of  1868  and  restraining  white 
men  from  going  into  the  Hills,  Gen.  Custer  was  sent  out,  in  1874, 
to  intimidate  the  Sioux.  The  unrighteous  spirit  of  this  order 
the  General  wisely  disregarded,  but  proceeded  to  Prospect  Val- 
ley, and  from  there  he  pushed  on  to  the  valley  of  the  Little 
Missouri.  Custer  expected  to  find  good  grazing  ground  in  this 
valley,  suitable  for  a  camp  which  he  intended  to  pitch  there  for 
several  days,  and  reconnoiter,  but  the  country  was  comparatively 
barren  and  the  march  was  therefore  continued  to  the  Belle 
Fourche  valley,  where  excellent  grazing,  water,  and  plenty  of 
wood  was  found. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  275 

Crossing  the  Fourche  the  expedition  wa3  now  among  the  out- 
lying ranges  of  the  Hills,  where  a  camp  was  made  and  some 
reconnoitering  done;  but  finding  no  Indians,  Gen.  Custer  con- 
tinued his  march,  skirting  the  Black  Hills  and  passing  through 
a  country  which  he  described  as  beautiful  beyond  description, 
abounding  with  a  most  luxurious  vegetation,  cool,  crystal 
streams,  a  profusion  of  gaudy,  sweet  smelling  flowers,  and 
plenty  of  game. 

Proceeding  down  this  lovely  valley,  which  he  appropriately 
named  Floral  Park,  an  Indian  camp-fire,  recently  abandoned, 
was  discovered,  and  fearing  a  collision  unless  pains  were  taken 
to  prevent  it,  Custer  halted  and  sent  out  his  chief  scout,  Bloody 
Knife,  with  twenty  friendly  Indian  allies  to  trail  the  departed 
Sioux.  They  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  when,  as  Custer 
himself  relates:  *'  Two  of  Bloody  Knife's  young  men  came  gal- 
loping back  and  informed  me  that  they  had  discovered  five  In- 
dian lodges  a  few  miles  down  the  valley,  and  that  Bloody  Knife, 
as  directed,  had  concealed  his  party  in  a  wooded  ravine,  where 
they  awaited  further  orders.  Taking  E  company  with  me,  which 
was  afterward  reinforced  by  the  remainder  of  the  scouts  and  Col. 
Hart's  company,  I  proceeded  to  the  ravine  where  Bloody  Knife 
and  his  party  lay  concealed,  and  from  the  crest  beyond  obtained 
a  full  view  of  the  five  Indian  lodges,  about  which  a  considerable 
number  of  ponies  were  grazing.  I  was  enabled  to  place  my 
command  still  nearer  to  the  lodges  undiscovered.  I  then  dis- 
patched Agard,  the  interpreter,  with  a  flag  of  truce,  accompanied 
by  ten  of  our  Sioux  scouts,  to  acquaint  the  occupants  of  the 
lodges  that  we  were  friendly  disposed  and  desired  to  communi- 
cate with  them.  To  prevent  either  treachery  or  flight  on  their 
part,  I  galloped  the  remaining  portion  of  my  advance  and  sur- 
rounded the  lodges.  This  was  accomplished  almost  before  they 
were  aware  of  our  presence.  I  then  entered  the  little  village  and 
shook  hands  with  its  occupants,  assuring  them  through  the  inter- 
preter, that  they  had  no  cause  to  fear,  as  we  were  not  there  to 
molest  them,  etc." 

Finding  there  was  no  disposition  on  the  part  of  Gen.  Custer 


276  STORY    OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

to  harm  them,  the  Indians  dispatched  a  courier  to  their  principal 
village,  requesting  the  warriors  to  be  present  at  a  council  with 
the  whites.  This  council  was  held  on  the  following  day,  but 
though  Custer  dispensed  coffee,  sugar,  bacon  and  other  presents 
to  the  Indians,  his  advice  to  them  regarding  the  occupation  of 
their  country  by  miners  was  treated  with  indifference,  for  which, 
he  observes  in  his  official  report,  '*  I  cannot  blame  the  poor  sav- 
ages.*' 

MINERS  IN  THE  BLACK  HILLS. 

During  the  summer  of  1875  Gen.  Crook  made  several  trips 
into  the  Black  Hills  to  drive  out  the  miners  and  maintain  the 
government's  faith,  but  while  he  made  many  arrests  there  was 
no  punishment  and  the  whole  proceeding  became  farcical.  In 
August  of  the  same  year  Custer  City  was  laid  out  and  two  weeks 
later  it  contained  a  population  of  six  hundred  souls.  These  Gen. 
Crook  drove  out,  but  as  he  marched  from  the  place  others 
swarmed  in  and  the  population  was  immediately  renewed. 

It  was  this  inability,  or  real  indisposition,  of  the  government 
to  enforce  the  terms  of  the  treaty  of  1868  that  led  to  the  bitter 
war  with  Sitting  Bull  and  which  terminated  so  disastrously  on 
the  25th  of  June,  1876. 

It  is  a  notorious  fact  that  the  Sioux  Indians,  for  four  year? 
immediately  preceding  the  Custer  massacre,  were  regularly  sup- 
plied with  the  most  improved  fire-arms  and  ammunition  by  the 
agencies  at  Brule,  Grand  River,  Standing  Rock,  Fort  Berthold, 
Cheyenne  and  Fort  Peck.  Even  during  the  campaign  of  1876, 
in  the  months  of  May,  June  and  July,  just  before  and  after 
Custer  and  his  band  of  heroes  rode  down  into  the  valley  of  death, 
these  fighting  Indians  received  eleven  hundred  and  twenty  Win^ 
Chester  and  Remington  rifles  and  413,000  rounds  of  patent 
ammunition,  besides  large  quantities  of  loose  powder,  lead  and 
primers,  while  during  the  summer  of  1875  they  received  several 
thousand  stand  of  arms  and  more  than  a  million  rounds  of  am- 
munition. With  this  generous  provision  there  is  no  cause  for 
wonder  that  the  Sioux  were  able  to  resist  the  government  and 


278  STORY   OF  THE  WILD  WEST. 

attract  to  their  aid  all  the  dissatisfied  Chejennes  and  other  In- 
dians in  the  Northwest. 

Besides  a  perfect  fighting  equipment,  all  the  Indians  recog- 
nized in  Sitting  Bull  the  elements  of  a  great  warrior,  one  whose 
superior,  perhaps,  has  never  been  known  among  any  tribe;  he 
.  combined  all  the  strategic  cunning  of  Tecumseh  with  the  cruel, 
uncompromising  hatred  of  Black  Kettle,  while  his  leadership  was 
far  superior  to  both.  Having  decided  to  precipitate  a  terrible 
war,  he  chose  his  position  with  consummate  judgment,  selecting 
a  central  vantage  point  surrounded  by  what  is  known  as  the 
**  bad  lands,"  and  then  kept  his  supply  source  open  by  an  as- 
sumed friendship  with  the  Canadian  French.  This  he  was  the 
better  able  to  accomplish,  since  some  years  before  he  had  pro- 
fessed conversion  to  Christianity  under  the  preaching  of  Father 
DeJmet  and  maintained  a  show  of  great  friendship  for  the  Can- 
adians. 

WAR   DECLARED   AGAINST   THE    SIOUX. 

War  against  the  Sioux  having  been  declared,  brought  s,bout 
by  the  combined  causes  of  Black  Hill  outrages  and  Sitting  Bull's 
threatening  attitude,  it  was  iecided  to  send  out  three  separate 
expeditions,  one  of  which  should  move  from  the  north,  under 
Gen.  Terry,  from  Fort  Lincoln;  another  from  the  east,  under 
Gen.  Gibbon,  from  Fort  Ellis,  and  another  from  the  south,  under 
Gen.  Crook,  from  Fort  Fetterman;  the^e  movements  were  to  be 
simultaneous,  and  a  junction  was  expected  to  be  formed  near  the 
headwaters  of  the  Yellowstone  river. 

For  some  cause,  which  I  will  refrain  from  discussing,  the 
commands  did  not  start  at  the  same  time.  Gen.  Crook  did  not 
leave  Fetterman  until  March  1st,  with  seven  hundred  men  and 
forty  days'  supply.  The  command  was  intrusted  to  Col.  Rey- 
nolds, of  the  Third  Cavalry,  accompanied  by  Gen,  Crook,  the 
department  commander.  Nothing  was  heard  of  this  expedition 
until  the  22d  following,  when  Gen.  Crook  forwarded  from  Ft. 
Reno  a  brief  account  of  his  battle  on  Powder  river.  The  result 
of  this  fight,  which  lasted  five  hours,  was  the  destructiop  of 
Crazy  Horse's  village  of  one  hundred  and  five  lodges;  or  tha\ 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  279 

is  the  way  the  dispatch  read,  though  many  assert  that  the  battle 
resulted  in  little  else  than  a  series  of  remarkable  blunders  which 
suffered  the  Indians  to  make  good  their  escape,  losing  only  a 
small  quantity  of  their  property. 

One  serious  trouble  arose  out  of  the  Powder  river  fight,  which 
was  found  in  an  assertion  made  by  Gen.  Crook,  or  at  least  at- 
tributed to  him,  that  his  expedition  had  proved  that  instead  of 
there  being  15,000  or  20,000  hostile  Indians  in  the  Black  Hills 
and  Big  Horn  county,  that  the  total  number  would  not  exceed 
2,000.  It  was  upon  this  estimation  that  the  expeditions  were 
prepared. 

The  Terry  column,  which  was  commanded  by  Gen.  Custer, 
consisted  of  twelve  companies  of  the  Seventh  Cavalry,  and  three 
companies  of  the  Sixth  and  Seventeenth  Infantry,  with  four 
Gatling  guns,  and  a  detachment  of  Indian  scouts.  This  force 
comprised  twenty-eight  officers  and  seven  hundred  and  forty- 
seven  men,  of  the  Seventh  Cavalry,  eight  officers  and  one  hundred 
and  thirty-five  men  of  the  Sixth  and  Seventeenth  Infantry,  two 
officers  and  thirty-two  men  in  charge  of  the  Gatling  battery,  and 
forty-five  enlisted  Indian  scouts,  a  grand  total  of  thirty-eight 
officers  and  nine  hundred  and  fifty-nine  men,  including  scouts. 

The  combined  forces  of  Crook,  Gibbon,  Terry  and  Custer,  did 
not  exceed  twenty-seven  hundred  men,  while  opposed  to  them 
were  fully  17,000  Indians,  all  of  whom  were  provided  with  the 
latest  and  most  improved  patterns  of  repeating  rifles. 

On  the  16th  of  June  Gen.  Crook  started  for  the  Rosebud,  on 
which  stream  it  was  reported  that  Sitting  Bull  and  Crazy  Horse 
were  stationed ;  about  the  same  time  a  party  of  Crow  Indians, 
who  were  operating  with  Gen.  Crook,  returned  from  a  scout  and 
reported  that  Gen.  Gibbon,  who  was  on  Tongue  river,  had  been 
attacked  by  Sitting  Bull,  who  had  captured  several  horses. 
Crook  pushed  on  rapidly  toward  the  Rosebud,  leaving  his  train 
behind  and  mounting  his  infantry  on  mules.  What  were  deemed 
accurate  reports,  stated  that  Sitting  Bull  was  still  on  the  Rose- 
bud, only  sixty  miles  from  the  point  where  Gen.  Crook  camped 
on  the  night  of  the  15th  of  June.     The  command  traveled  forty 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL,  281 

miles  on  the  sixteenth,  and  when  within  twenty  miles  of  the 
Sioux'  principal  position,  instead  of  pushing  on.  Gen.  Crook 
went  into  camp. 

ATTACKED   BY   SITTING   BULL. 

The   next  morning  he  was  much  surprised  at  finding  himself 
attacked  by  Sitting  Bull,  who  swooped  down  on  him  with  the 
first  streaks  of  coming  dawn,  and  a  heavy  battle  followed.     Gen. 
Crook,  who  had  camped  in  a  basin  surrounded  on  all  sides  by 
high  hills,  soon  found  his  position  so  dangerous  that  it  must  be 
changed  at  all  hazards.     The  advance  was  therefore  sounded  with 
Noyes'    battalion  occupying  a  position  on  the  right.  Mills  on  the 
right  center,  Chambers  in  the  center,  and  the  Indian  allies  on  the 
left.     Mills  and  Noyes  charged  the  enemy  in  magnificent  style, 
breaking  the  line  and  striking  the  rear.     The  fight  continued  hot 
and  furious  until  2  p.  m.,  when  a  gallant  charge  of  Col.  Koyall, 
who  was  in  reserve,  supported  by  the  Indian  allies,  caused  the 
Sioux  to  draw  off  to  their  village,  six  miles  distant,  while  Gen. 
Crook  went  into  camp,  where  he  remained  inactive  for  two  days. 
In  the  meantime,   as  the  oflicial   report  recites:   *' Generals 
Terry  and  Gibbon  communicated  with  each  other  June  1st,  near 
the  junction  of  the  Tongue  and  Yellowstone  rivers,  and  learned 
that  a  heavy  force  of  Indians  had  concentrated  on  the  opposite 
bank  of  the  Yellowstone,  but  eighteen  miles  distant.     For  four- 
teen days  the  Indian  pickets  had  confronted  Gibbon's  videttes." 
Gen.  Gibbon  reported  to  Gen.  Terry  that  the  cavalry    had 
thoroughly  scouted  the  Yellowstone  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the 
Big  Horn,  and  no  Indians  had  crossed  it.     It  was  now  certain 
that  they  were  not  prepared  for  them,  and  on  the  Powder, 
Tongue,  Rosebud,  Little  Horn  and  Big  Horn  rivers.  Gen.  Terry 
at  once  commenced  feeling  for   them.     Major   Reno,   of  the 
Seventh  Cavalry,  with  six  companies  of  that  regiment,  was  sent 
up  Powder  river  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  to  the  mouth  of 
Little  Powder  to   look   for   the   Indians,  and,    if   possible   to 
communicate  with  General  Crook.     He  reached  the  mouth   of 
the  Little  Powder  in  ^vf^  da^s,  but  saw  no  Indians,  and  could 


282  STORY  OF  THE   WILD    WEST. 

bear  nothing  of  Crook.  As  he  returned,  he  found  on  the  Eose- 
bud  a  very  large  Indian  trail,  about  nine  days  old,  and  followed 
it  a  short  distance,  when  he  turned  about  up  Tongue  river,  and 
reported  to  Gen.  Terry  what  he  had  seen.  It  v/as  now  known 
that  no  Indians  were  on  either  Tongue  oi  Little  Powder  rivers, 
and  the  net  had  narrowed  down  to  Rosebud,  Little  Horn  and  Big 
Horn  rivers. 

Gen.  Terry,  who  had  been  waiting  with  Custer  and  the 
steamer  Far  West,  at  the  mouth  of  Tongue  river,  for  Reno's 
report,  as  soon  as  he  heard  it,  ordered  Custer  to  march  up  the 
south  bank  to  a  point  opposite  Gen.  Gibbon,  who  was  encamped 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  Yellowstone.  Accordingly  Terry,  on 
board  the  steamer  Far  West,  pushed  up  the  Yellowstone,  keep- 
ing abreast  of  Gen.  Custer's  column. 

Gen.  Gibbon  was  found  in  camp  quietly  awaiting  develop- 
ments. A  consultation  was  had  with  Gens.  Gibbon  and  Custer, 
and  then  Gen.  Terry  definitely  fixed  upon  the  plan  of  action. 
It  was  believed  the  Indians  were  at  the  head  of  the  Rosebud,  or 
over  on  the  Little  Horn,  a  dividing  ridge  only  fifteen  miles  wide 
separating  the  two  streams.  It  was  announced  by  Gen.  Terry 
that  Gen.  Custer's  column  *'  would  strike  the  blow." 

At  the  time  that  a  junction  was  formed  between  Gibbon  and 
Terry,  Gen.  Crook  was  about  one  hundred  miles  from  them, 
while  Sitting  Bull's  forces  were  between  the  commands. 
Crook,  after  his  battle,  fell  back  to  the  head  of  Tongue  river. 
The  Powder,  Tongue,  Rosebud  and  Big  Horn  rivers  all  flow 
northwest,  and  empty  into  the  Yellowstone ;  as  Sitting  Bull  was 
between  the  headwaters  of  the  Rosebud  and  Big  Horn,  the  main 
tributary  of  the  latter  being  known  as  the  Little  Big  Horn,  a 
sufficient  knowledge  of  the  topography  of  the  country  is  thus 
afforded  by  which  to  definitely  locate  Sitting  Bull  and  his  forces. 

Having  now  ascertained  the  position  of  the  enemy,  or  rea- 
soned out  the  probable  position.  Gen.  Terry  sent  a  dispatch  to 
Gen.  Sheridan,  as  follows:  **  No  Indians  have  been  met  with  as 
yet,  but  traces  of  a  large  and  recent  camp  have  been  discovered 
twenty  or  thirty  miles  up  the  Rosebud.     Gibbon's  column  will 


AtTOBIOGRAPHT  OP  BUFFALO  BILl- 


283 


move  this  morning  on  the  north  side  of  the  Yellowstone,  for 
the  mouth  of  the  Big  Horn,  where  it  wiil  be  ferried  across  by  the 
supply  steamer, 
and  whence  it  will 
proceed  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Little 
Horn,  and  so  on. 
Custer  will  go  up 
the  Rosebud  to- 
morrow with  his 
whole  regiment, 
and  thence  to  the 
headwaters  of 
the  Little  Horn, 
thence  down  that 
stream." 

FoUowiiag  this 
report  came  an 
order  ^  signed  by 
E.  W.  Smith, 
Captain  of  the 
Eighteenth  In- 
fantry, Acting 
Assistant  Adjut- 
ant-Ge  ner  al , 
directing  General 
Custer  to  follow 
the  Indian  trail 
discovered,  push- 
ing the  Indians 
fro'ii  one  side 
whi^e  Gen.  Gibbon 
p  u  i'  s  u  e  d  them 
from  an  opposite 
dire^jtion.  As  no  instructions  were  given  as  to  the  rate  each 
divijjon  should  travel,  Custer,  noted  for  his  quick,  energetic 


284  iTORY  OF  THE   WILD  WEST. 

jaovements,  made  ninety  miles  the  first  three  days,  and,  dis- 
joyering  the  Indians  in  large  numbers,  divided  his  command 
into  three  divisions,  one  of  which  he  placed  under  Major  Reno, 
another  under  Major  Benteen,  and  led  the  other  himself. 

CrSTEK   8TBIKE8   THE   INDIANS. 

As  Custer  made  a  detour  to  enter  the  village,  Reno  struck  a 
large  body  of  In  lians,  who,  after  retreating  nearly  three  miles, 
turned  on  the  troops  and  ran  them  pell  mell  across  Grassy  creeii 
Into  the  woods.  E'eno  over-estimated  the  strength  of  his  enemies 
and  thought  he  was  being  surrounded.  Benteen  came  up  to  the 
support  of  Reno,  but  he  too  took  fright  and  got  out  of  his  posi- 
tion without  striking  the  enemy.    ^ 

While  Reno  and  Benteen  were  trying  to  keep  open  a  way  for 
their  retreat,  Custer  charged  on  the  village,  first  sending  a  cour- 
ier. Trumpeter  Martin,  to  Reno  and  Benteen  with  the  following 
dispatch:  *«  Big  village;  be  quick;  send  on  the  packs."  This 
order  was  too  plain  to  be  misconstrued.  It  clearly  meant 
that  he  had  discovered  the  village,  which  he  intended  attacking 
at  once;  to  hurry  forward  to  his  support  and  bring  up  the  packs, 
ambulances,  etc.  But  instead  of  obeying  orders,  Reno  and 
Benteen  stood  aloof,  fearful  lest  they  should  endanger  their  posi- 
tion, while  the  brave  Custer  and  his  squad  of  noble  heroes  rushed 
down  like  a  terrible  avalanche  upon  the  Indian  village.  In  a 
moment,  fateful  incident,  the  Indians  came  swarming  about  that 
heroic  band  until  the  very  earth  seemed  to  open  and  let  loose 
the  elements  of  volcanic  fury,  or  like  a  riot  of  the  fiends  of 
Erebus,  blazing  with  the  hot  sulphur  of  their  impious  dominion. 
Down  from  the  hillside,  up  through  the  valleys,  that  dreadful 
torrent  of  Indian  cruelty  and  massacre  poured  around  the  little 
squad  to  swallow  it  up  with  one  grand  swoop  of  fire.  But  Custer 
was  there  at  the  head,  like  Spartacus  fighting  the  legions  about 
him,  tall,  graceful,  brave  as  a  lion  at  bay,  and  with  thunderbolts  in 
his  hands.  His  brave  followers  formed  a  hollow  square,  and 
met  the  rush,  and  roar,  and  fury  of  the  demons.  Bravely  they 
breasted  that  battle  shock,  bravely  stood  up  and  faced  the  leaden 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO    B1LL«  285 

hail,  nor  quailed  when  looking  into  the  blazing  muzzles  of  five 
thousand  deadly  rifles. 

HOPING   AGAINST   HOPE. 

Brushing  away  the  powder  grimes  that  had  settled  in  his  face, 
Custer  looked  over  the  boiling  sea  of  fury  around  him,  peering 
through  the  smoke  for  some  signs  of  Reno  and  Bcnteen,  but 
seeing  none  yet  thinking  of  the  aid  which  must  soon  come,  with 
cheering  words  to  his  comrades,  he  renewed  the  battle,  fighting 
still  like  a  Hercules  and  piling  heaps  of  victims  around  his  very 
feet. 

Hour  after  hour  passed  and  yet  no  friendly  sign  of  Reno's 
coming;  nothing  to  be  seen  saving  the  battle  smoke,  streaks  of 
fire  splitting  through  the  misty  clouds,  blood  flowing  in  rivulets 
under  tramping  feet,  dying  comrades,  and  Indians  swarming 
about  him,  rending  the  air  with  their  demoniacal  **  hi-yi-yip- 
y  ah ,  —  yah-hi-yah . " 

THE   MASSACRE. 

The  fight  continued  with  unabated  fury  until  late  in  the  after- 
noon ;  men  had  sunk  down  beside  their  gallant  leader  until  there 
was  but  a  handful  left,  only  a  dozen,  bleeding  from  many  wounds 
and  hot  carbines  in  their  stiffening  hands.  The  day  is  almost 
done,  when  look!  heaven  now  defend  him!  the  charm  of  his 
life  is  broken,  for  Custer  has  fallen ;  a  bullet  cleaves  a  pathway 
through  his  side,  and  as  he  falters  another  strikes  his  noble 
breast.  Like  a  strong  oak  stricken  by  the  lightning's  bolt, 
shivering  the  mighty  trunk  and  bending  its  withering  branches 
down  close  to  the  earth,  so  fell  Custer;  but  like  the  reacting 
branches,  he  rises  partly  up  again,  and  striking  out  like  a  fatally 
wounded  giant  lays  three  more  Indians  dead  and  breaks  his 
mighty  sword  on  the  musket  of  a  fourth ;  then,  with  useless 
blade  and  empty  pistol  falls  back  the  victim  of  a  dozen  wounds. 
He  is  the  last  to  succumb  to  death,  and  dies,  too,  with  the  glory 
of  accomplished  duty  on  his  conscience  and  the  benediction  of  a 
grateful  country  on  his  head.     The  place  where  fell  these  noblest 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF   BUITALO  BILL  287 

of  God's* heroes  is  sacred  ground,  and  though  it  be  the  Golgotha 
of  a  nation's  mistakes  it  is  bathed  with  precious  blood,  rich  with 
the  germs  of  heroic  inheritance. 

I  have  avoided  attaching  blame  to  any  one,  using  only  the 
facts  that  have  been  furnished  me  of  how  Custer  came  to  attack 
the  Sioux  village  and  how  and  why  he  died. 

When  the  news  of  the  terrible  massacre  was  learned,  soldiers 
everywhere  made  a  pilgrimage  to  the  sacred  place,  and  friendl}/ 
hands  reared  a  monument  on  that  distant  spot  commemorative  of 
the  heroism  of  Custer  and  his  men ;  collected  together  all  the 
bones  and  relics  of  the  battle  and  piled  them  up  in  pyramidal 
form,  where  they  stand  in  sunshine  and  storm,  overlooking  the 
Little  Big  Horn. 

Soon  after  the  news  of  Custer  s  massacre  reached  us  prepara- 
tions were  immediately  made  to  avenge  his  death.  The  whole 
Cheyenne  and  Sioux  tribes  were  in  revolt  and  a  lively,  if  not 
very  dangerous,  campaign  was  in  prospective. 

AFTER    THE     MURDERERS   OF    CUSTER, 

Two  days  before  receipt  of  the  news  of  the  massacre,  Colonel 
Stanton,  who  was  with  the  Fifth  Cavalry,  had  been  sent  to  Ked 
Cloud  agency  and  on  the  evening  of  the  receipt  of  news  of  the 
Custer  fight  a  scout  arrived  in  our  camp  with  a  message  from 
the  Colonel  informing  General  Mcrritt  that  eight  hundred  Chey- 
enne warriors  had  that  day  left  Red  Cloud  agency  to  join  Sitting 
Bull's  hostile  forces  in  the  Big  Horn  country. 

Notwithstanding  the  instructions  to  proceed  immediately 
to  join  General  Crook  by  the  way  of  Fort  Fetterman,  Colonel 
Merritt  took  the  responsibility  of  endeavoring  to  intercept  the 
Cheyennes,  and  as  the  sequel  shows  he  performed  a  very  impor- 
tant service. 

He  selected  five  hundred  men  and  horses,  and  in  two  hours  we 
were  making  a  forced  march  back  to  Hat,  or  War  Bonnet  creek — 
the  intention  being  to  reach  the  main  Indian  trail  running  to  the 
north  across  that  creek  before  the  Cheyennes  could  get  there. 
We  arrived  there  the  next  night,  and  at  daylight  the  following 


288 


STORY   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 


morning,  July  17th,  1876,  I  went  out  on  a  scout,  and  found  thai 
the  Indians  had  not  yet  crossed  the  creek.  On  my  way  back  to 
the  command  1  discovered  a  large  party  of  Indians,  which  proved 
to  be  the  Cheyennes,  coming  up  from  the  south,  and  I  hurried  to 
the  camp  with  this  important  information. 

The  cavalrymen  quietly  mounted  their  horses,  and  were  ordered 
to  remain  out  of  sight,  while  General  Merritt,  accompanied  by 
two  or  three  aides  and  myself,  went  out  on  a  little  tour  of  ob- 
servation to  a 
neighboring  hill, 
from  the  summit 
of  which  we  saw 
that  the  Indians 
were  approach- 
ing almost  direct- 
ly towards  us. 
Presently  fifteen 
or  twenty  of  them 
dashed  off  to  the 
west  in  the  direc- 
tion from  which 
we  had  come  the 
before ; 
and  upon  closer 
^^  observation  with 

INDIANS   RUNNING  OFF   STOCK.  QUr  field   glaSSCS, 

we  discovered  two  mounted  soldiers,  evidently  carrying  dis- 
patches for  us,  pushing  forward  on  our  trail. 


m  night 


MY   DUEL  WITH  YELLOW   HAND. 

The  Indians  were  evidently  endeavoring  to  intercept  these  two 
men,  and  General  Merritt  feared  that  they  would  accomplish  their 
object.  He  did  not  think  it  advisable  to  send  out  any  soldiers 
to  the  assistance  of  the  couriers,  for  fear  they  would  show  to  the 
Indians  that  there  were  troops  in  the  vicinity  who  we'-e  waiting 
for  them.     I  finally  suggested  that  the  best  plan  was  to  wa»* 


5  P>» 

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AUTOBIOGRAPHT  OF  BUTFALO  BILL.  289 

until  tne  couriers  came  closer  to  the  command,  and  then  just  as 
the  Indians  were  about  to  charge,  to  let  me  take  the  scouts  and 
cut  them  off  from  the  main  body  of  the  Cheyennes,  who  were 
coming  over  the  divide. 

'*A11  right,  Cody,'*  said  the  General,  "  if  you  can  do  that,  go 
ahead." 

I  rushed  back  to  the  command,  jumped  on  my  horse,  picked 
out  fifteen  men,  and  returned  with  them  to  the  point  of  observa- 
tion. I  told  General  Merritt  to  give  us  the  word  to  start  out  at 
the  proper  time,  and  presently  he  sang  out: 

**  Go  in  now,  Cody,  and  be  quick  about  it.  They  are  going 
to  charge  on  the  couriers." 

The  two  messengers  were  not  over  four  hundred  yards  from 
us,  and  the  Indians  were  only  about  two  hundred  yards  behind 
them.  We  instantly  dashed  over  the  bluffs,  and  advanced  on  a 
gallop  towards  the  Indians.  A  running  fight  lasted  several  min- 
utes, during  which  we  drove  the  enemy  some  little  distance  and 
killed  three  of  their  number.  The  rest  of  them  rode  off  towards 
the  main  body,  which  had  come  into  plain  sight,  and  halted, 
upon  seeing  the  skirmish  that  was  going  on.  We  were  about 
half  a  mile  from  General  Merritt,  and  the  Indians  whom  we 
were  chasing  suddenly  turned  upon  us,  and  another  lively  skir- 
mish took  place.  One  of  the  Indians,  who  was  handsomely  dec^ 
orated  with  all  the  ornaments  usually  worn  by  a  war  chief  when 
engaged  in  a  fight,  sang  out  to  me,  in  his  own  tongue:  <«  I 
know  you,  Pa-he-haska;  if  you  want  to  fight,  come  ahead  and 
fight  me." 

The  chief  wae  riding  his  horse  back  and  forth  in  front  of  his 
men,  as  if  to  banter  me,  and  I  concluded  to  accept  the  challenge 
I  galloped  towards  him  for  fifty  yards  and  he  advanced  towards 
me  about  the  same  distance,  both  of  us  riding  at  full  speed,  and 
then,  when  we  were  only  about'  thirty  yards  apart,  I  raised  my 
rifle  and  fired;  his  horse  fell  to  the  ground,  having  been  killed 
by  my  bullet.  Almost  at  the  same  instant  my  own  horse  went 
down,  he  having  stepped  into  a  gopher  hole.  The  fall  did  not  hurt 
me  much,  and  I  instantly  sprang  to  my  feet.     The  Indian  ha(i 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL-  291 

also  recovered  himself,  and  we  were  now  both  on  foot,  and  not 
more  than  twenty  paces  apart.  We  fired  at  each  other  simul- 
taneously. My  usual  luck  did  not  desert  me  on  this  occasion, 
for  his  bullet  missed  me,  while  mine  struck  him  in  the  breast. 
He  reeled  and  fell,  but  before  he  had  fairly  touched  the  ground 
I  was  upon  him,  knife  in  hand,  and  had  driven  the  keen-edged 
weapon  to  its  hilt  in  his  heart.  Jerking  his  war-bonnet  off,  I 
scientifically  scalped  him  in  about  five  seconds. 

A   MOMENT   OF   GREAT   DANGER. 

The  whole  affair  from  beginning  to  end  occupied  but  little 
time,  and  the  Indians,  seeing  that  I  was  some  little  distance  from 
my  company,  now  came  charging  down  upon  me  from  a  hill,  in 
hopes  of  cutting  me  off.  General  Merritt  had  witnessed  the 
duel,  and  realizing  the  danger  I  was  in,  ordered  Colonel  Mason 
with  Company  K  to  hurry  to  my  rescue.  The  order  came  none 
too  soon,  for  had  it  been  given  one  minute  hiter  I  would  have  had 
not  less  than  two  hundred  Indians  upon  me.  As  the  soldiers  came 
up  I  swung  the  Indian  chieftain's  top-knot  and  bonnet  in  the  air, 
and  shouted :  — 

^^  The  first  scalp  for  Custer.^' 

General  Merritt,  seeing  that  he  could  not  now  ambush  the  In- 
dians, ordered  the  whole  regiment  to  charge  upon  them.  They 
made  a  stubborn  resistance  for  a  little  while,  but  it  was  of  no 
use  for  any  eight  hundred,  or  even  sixteen  hundred  Indians  to 
try  and  check  a  charge  of  the  gallant  old  Fifth  Cavalry,  and 
they  soon  came  to  that  conclusion  and  began  a  running  retreat 
towards  Red  Cloud  agency.  For  thirty-five  miles  we  drove  them, 
pushing  them  so  hard  that  they  were  obliged  to  abandon  their 
loose  horses,  their  camp  equipage  and  everything  else.  We 
drove  them  into  the  agency,  and  followed  in  ourselves,  notwith- 
standing the  possibility  of  our  having  to  encounter  the  thousands 
of  Indians  at  that  point.  We  were  uncertain  whether  or  not  the 
other  agency  Indians  had  determined  to  follow  the  example  of 
the  Cheyennes  and  strike  out  upon  the  war-path ;  but  that  made 
no  difference  with  the  Fifth  Cavalry,  for  they  would  have  fought 
them  all  if  necessary.     It  was  dark  when  we  rode  into  the  agency. 


292 


STORY    OF    THE    WILD    WEST. 


where  we  found  thousands  of  Indians  collected  together;  but 
they  manifested  no  disposition  to  fight. 

While  at  the  agency  I  learned  the  name  of  the  Indian  chief 
whom  I  had  killed  in  the  morning ;    it  was  Yellow  Hand,  a  son 

of  old  Cut- 
nose  —  a 
1  e  a  d  i  ng 
chief  of  the 
Cheyennes. 
Cut-nose 
having 
learned 
that  I  had 
killed  h  i  s 
son  sent  a 
white  i  n- 
terpreterto 
me  with  a 
message  to 
the  effect 
that  he 
would  give 
me  f our 
mules  if  I 
would  turn 
over  to  him 
Yellow 
Hand's 
w  a  r-b  o  n  - 
net,    guns, 

pistols,  ornaments,  and  other  paraphernaha  which  I  had  captured. 
I  sent  back  word  to  the  old  gentleman  that  it  would  give  me  pleas- 
ure to  accommodate  him,  but  I  could  not  do  it  this  time. 

AGAIN  IN  PURSUIT  OF  THE  SIOUX. 

The  next  morning  we  started  to  join  General  Crook,  who  was 
camped  near  the  foot  of  Cloud  Peak  in  the  Big  Horn  mountains, 


THE     FIRST   SCALP   FOR   CUSTER. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO   BILL.  293 

awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  Fifth  Cavalry,  before  proceeding 
against  the  Sioux,  who  were  somewhere  near  the  head  of  the 
Little  Big  Horn,  —  as  his  scouts  informed  himo  We  made  rapid 
marches  and  reached  General  Crook's  camp  on  Goose  creek 
about  the  3d  of  August. 

At  this  camp  I  met  many  old  friends,  among  whom  was  Colonel 
Royall,  who  had  received  his  promotion  to  the  Lieutenant-Col- 
onelcy of  the  Third  Cavalry.  He  introduced  me  to  General 
Crook,  whom  I  had  never  met  before,  but  of  whom  I  had  often 
heard.  He  also  introduced  me  to  the  General's  chief  guide, 
Frank  Grouard,  a  half  breed,  who  had  lived  six  years  with  Sit- 
ting Bull,  and  knew  the  country  thoroughly. 

We  remained  in  this  camp  only  one  day,  and  then  the  whole 
troop  pulled  out  for  the  Tongue  river,  leaving  our  wagons  be- 
hind, but  taking  with  us  a  large  pack  train.  We  marched  down 
the  Tongue  river  for  two  days,  thence  in  a  westerly  direction 
over  to  the  Rosebud,  where  we  struck  the  main  Indian  trail, 
leading  down  this  stream.  From  the  size  of  the  trail,  which  ap- 
peared to  be  about  four  days  old,  we  estimated  that  there  must 
have  been  in  the  neighborhood  of  seven  thousand  Indians  in 
the  war  party. 

For  two  or  three  days  we  pushed  on,  but  we  did  not  seem  to 
gain  much  on  the  Indians,  as  they  were  evidently  making  about 
the  same  marches  that  we  were.  On  the  fourth  or  fifth  morning 
of  our  pursuit,  I  rode  ahead  of  the  command  about  ten  miles, 
and  mounting  a  hill  I  scanned  the  country  far  and  wide  with  my 
field  glass,  and  discovered  an  immense  column  of  dust  rising 
about  ten  miles  further  down  the  creek,  and  soon  I  noticed  a 
body  of  men  marching  towards  me,  that  at  first  I  believed  to  be 
the  Indians  of  whom  we  were  in  pursuit ;  but  subsequently  they 
proved  to  be  General  Terry's  command.  I  sent  back  word  to 
that  effect  to  General  Crook,  by  a  scout  who  had  accompanied 
me,  but  after  he  had  departed  I  observed  a  band  of  Indians  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  creek,  and  also  another  party  directly 
in  front  of  me.  This  led  me  to  believe  that  I  had  made  a  mis- 
take.    But  shortly  afterwards  mjj  attention  was  attracted  by  the 


294  ^TORY   OF   THE    WILD    WEST. 

appearance  of  a  body  of  soldiers,  who  were  forming  into  a  skirmish 
line,  and  then  I  became  convinced  that  it  was  General  Terry's 
command  after  all,  and  that  the  red-skins  whom  I  had  seen  were 
some  of  his  friendly  Indian  scouts,  who  had  mistaken  me  for  a 
Sioux,  and  fled  back  to  their  command  terribly  excited,  shouting, 
" The  Sioux  are  coming!" 

A    LITTLE  DUST    CAUSES   MUCH  EXCITEMENT, 

General  Terry  at  once  came  to  the  post,  and  ordered  the  Sev- 
enth Cavalry  to  form  line  of  battle  across  the  Rosebud ;  he  also 
ordered  up  his  artillery  and  had  them  prepare  for  action,  doubt- 
less dreading  another  *'  Custer  massacre."  I  afterwards  learned 
the  Indian  had  seen  the  dust  raised  by  General  Crook's  forces, 
and  had  reported  that  the  Sioux  were  coming. 

These  manoeuvres  I  witnessed  from  my  position  with  consid- 
erable amusement,  thinking  the  command  must  be  badly  demor- 
alized, when  one  man  could  cause  a  whole  army  to  form  line  of 
battle  and  prepare  for  action.  Having  enjoyed  the  situation  to 
my  heart's  content,  I  galloped  down  towards  the  skirmish  line, 
waving  my  hat  and  when  within  about  one  hundred  yards  of 
the  troops.  Colonel  Weir,  of  the  Seventh  Cavalry,  galloped  out 
and  met  me.  He  recognized  me  at  once,  and  accompanied  me 
inside  the  line;  then  he  sang  out,  **  Boys,  here's  Buffalo  Bill. 
Some  of  you  old  soldiers  know  him;  give  him  a  cheer!"  There- 
upon the  regiment  gave  three  rousing  cheers,  and  it  was  followed 
up  all  along  the  line. 

Colonel  Weir  presented  me  to  General  Terry,  and  in  answer 
to  his  question  I  informed  him  that  the  alarm  of  Indians  which 
had  been  given  was  a  false  one,  as  the  dust  seen  by  his  scouts 
was  caused  by  General  Crook's  troops.  General  Terry  thereup- 
on rode  forward  to  meet  General  Crook,  and  I  accompanied  him 
at  his  request.  That  night  both  commands  went  into  camp  on 
the  Rosebud.  General  Terry  had  his  wagon  train  with  him, 
and  everything  to  make  life  comfortable  on  an  Indian  campaign. 
He  had  large  wall  tents  and  portable  beds  to  sleep  in,  and  commo- 
dious hospital  tents  for  dining-rooms.   His  camp  looked  very  com' 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL,  295 

z'ortable  and  attractive,  and  presented  a  great  contrast  t  J  that  of 
General  Crook,  who  had  for  his  headquarters  only  one  small  fly 
tent;  and  whose  cooking  utensils  consisted  of  a  quart  cup  —  in 
which  he  made  his  coffee  himself  —  and  a  stick  upon  which  he 
broiled  his  bacon.  When  I  compared  the  two  camps,  I  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  General  Crook  was  an  Indian  fighter;  for  it  was 
evident  that  he  had  learned  that,  to  follow  and  fight  Indians,  a 
body  of  men  must  travel  lightly  and  not  be  detained  by  a  wag- 
on train  or  heavy  luggage  of  any  kind. 

That  evening  General  Terry  ordered  General  Mills  to  take  his 
regiment,  the  Fifth  Infantry,  and  return  by  a  forced  march  to 
the  Yellowstone,  and  proceed  down  the  river  by  steamboat  to 
the  mouth  of  Powder  river,  to  intercept  the  Indians,  in  case  they, 
attempted  to  cross  the  Yellowstone.  General  Miles  made  a 
forced  march  that  night  of  thirty-five  miles,  which  was  splendid 
traveling  for  an  infantry  regiment  through  a  mountainous 
country. 

Generals  Crook  and  Terry  spent  that  evening  and  the  next  day 
in  council,  and  on  the  following  morning  both  commands  moved 
out  on  the  Indian  trail.  Although  General  Terry  was  the  senior 
officer,  he  did  not  assume  command  of  both  expeditions,  but  left 
General  Crook  in  command  of  his  own  troops,  although  they  op- 
erated together.  We  crossed  the  Tongue  river  to  Powder  river, 
and  proceeded  down  the  latter  stream  to  a  point  twenty  miles 
from  its  junction  with  the  Yellowstone,  where  the  Indian  trail 
turned  to  the  southeast  in  the  direction  of  the  Black  Hills.  The 
two  commands  now  being  nearly  out  of  supplies,  the  trail  was 
abandoned,  and  the  troops  kept  on  down  Powder  river  to  its  con- 
fluence with  the  Yellowstone,  and  remained  there  several  days. 
Here  we  met  General  Mills,  who  reported  that  no  Indians  had  as 
yet  crossed  the  Yellowstone.  Several  steamboats  soon  arrived 
with  a  large  quantity  of  supplies,  Knd  oD«e  mor^  *hA  **  Boys  iD 
in  Blue  '*  were  made  happy. 


296 


STOBSr  OP  THE   WILD  WEST. 


CHAPTER    XXn. 


DANGEROU«   WORK. 

NE  evening  A»^liile  we  were  in  camp  ox  the 
Yellowstone  af  the  mouth  of  Powder  nver, 
I  was  informed  that  the  commanding  offic- 
era  had  selected  Louis  Richard,  a  half  breed 
and  myself  to  accompany  General  Mills  on 
a  scouting  expedition  on  the  pteamcif  Fat 
West,  down  the  Yellowstone  as  fa^^  as  Glen- 
dive  creek.  We  were  to  ride  on  the  pilot 
house  and  keep  a  sharp  lookout  on  both  ?ide9 
the  river  for  Indian  trails  that  might  have 
crossed  the  stream.  The  idea  of  scouting  »jn  a 
steamboat  was  indeed  a  novel  one  to  me,  and  .(  an- 
ticipated a  pleasant  trip. 
At  daylight  next  morning  we  reported  on  board  the  steamer 
to  General  Mills,  who  had  with  him  four  or  five  companies  of 
his  regiment.  We  were  somewhat  surprised  when  he  asked  us 
where  our  horses  were,  as  we  had  not  supposed  that  horses  would 
be  needed  if  the  scouting  was  to  be  done  on  the  steamer.  He  said 
we  might  need  them  before  we  got  back,  and  thereupon  we  had 
the  animals  brought  on  board.  In  a  few  minutes  we  were  boom- 
ing down  the  river  at  the  rate  of  about  twenty  miles  an  hour. 

The  steamer  Far  West  was  commanded  by  Captain  Grant  Marsh, 
whom  I  found  to  be  an  interesting  character.  I  had  often  heard 
of  him,  for  he  was  and  is  yet  one  of  the  best  known  river  cap- 
tains in  the  country.  He  it  was  who,  with  his  steamer  the  Far 
West,  transported  the  wounded  men  from  the  battle  of  the  Little 
Big  Horn  to  Fort  Abraham  Lincoln  on  the  Missouri  river,  and 
on  that  trip  he  made  the  fastest  steamboat  time  on  record.  He 
was  a  skillful  and  experienced  pilot,  handling  his  boat  with  re- 
markable dexterity 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   BUFFALO   BILL. 


297 


While  Richard  and  myself  were  at  our  stations  on  the  pilot 
house,  the  steamer  with  a  full  head  of  steam  went  flying  past 
islands,  around  bends  over  sand-bars,  at  a  rate  that  was  exhilar* 


Presently    I     thought    I 

could  see  horses  grazing  in  a  dis- 

_  ^        tant  bend  of  the  river  and  I  re- 

IIWIBhB  1  ir^^^^^^    ported  the  fact  to  General  Mills, 
limiUl^^r      >!tJiK   ^  H-    ^jjQ  asked  Captain  Marsh  if  he 

could  land  the  boat  near  a  large 
tree  which  he  pointed  out  to 
him.  *' Yes,  sir;  I  can  land  her 
there,  and  make  her  climb  the 
tree  if  necessary,"  said  he. 

On  reaching  the  spot  designat- 
ed, General  Mills  ordered  two 
companies  ashore,  while  Richard 
and  myself  were  instructed  to  take 
our  horses  off  the  boat  and  push 
out  as  rapidly  as  possible  to  see  if 
there  were  Indians  in  the  vicinity. 
While  we  were  getting  ashore, 
Captain  Marsh  remarked  that  if 
there  was  only  a  good  heavy  dew 
on  the  grass  he  would  shoot  the 
steamer  ashore  and  take  us  on  the 
scout  without  the  trouble  of  leaving  the  boat. 
It  was  a  false  alarm»  however,  as  the  objects  we  had  seen 


SCOUTING   ON    A   STEAMBOAT. 


298  STORY    OF   THE   WILD   WEST 

proved  to  be  Indian  graves.  QAiite  a  large  number  of  braves 
who  had  probably  been  killed  in  some  battle,  were  laid  on 
scaffolds,  according  to  the  Indian  custom,  and  some  of  their 
clothing  had  been  torn  loose  from  the  bodies  by  the  wolves  and 
was  waving  in  the  air. 

On  arriving  at  Glendive  creek  we  found  that  Colonel  Rice  and 
his  company  of  the  Fifth  Infantry  who  had  been  sent  there  by 
General  Mills,  had  built  quite  a  good  little  fort  with  their  trowel- 
bayonets  —  a  weapon  which  Colonel  Rice  was  the  inventor  of, 
and  which  is,  by  the  way,  a  very  useful  implement  of  war,  as  it 
can  be  used  for  a  shovel  in  throwing  up  intrenchments  and  can 
be  profitably  utilized  in  several  other  ways.  On  the  day  pre- 
vious to  our  arrival.  Colonel  Rice  had  a  light  with  a  party  of 
Indians,  and  had  killed  two  or  three  of  them  at  long  range  with 
his  Rodman  cannon. 

A    RIDE   THROUGH   THE    BAD  LANDS. 

The  Far  AVest  was  to  remain  at  Glendive  over  night,  and  Gen- 
eral Mills  wished  to  send  dispatches  back  to  General  Terry  at 
once.  At  his  request  I  took  the  dispatches  and  rode  seventy- 
five  miles  that  night  through  the  bad  lands  of  the  Yellowstone, 
and  reached  General  Terry's  camp  next  morning,  after  having 
nearly  broken  my  neck  a  dozen  times  or  more. 

There  being  but  little  prospect  of  any  more  fighting,  I  deter- 
mined  to  go  East  as  soon  as  possible  to  organize  a  new  *'  Dram- 
atic Combination,"  and  have  a  new  drama  written  for  me  based 
upon  the  Sioux  war.  This  I  knew  would  be  a  paying  invest- 
ment as  the  Sioux  campaign  had  excited  considerable  interest. 
So  I  started  down  the  river  on  the  steamer  Yellowstone  en  route 
to  Fort  Beauford.  On  the  same  morning  Generals  Terry  and 
Crook  pulled  out  for  Powder  river,  to  take  up  the  old  Indian 
trail  which  we  had  recently  left. 

The  steamer  had  proceeded  down  the  stream  about  twenty 
miles  when  it  was  met  by  another  boat  on  its  way  up  the  river, 
having  on  board  General  Whistler  and  some  fresh  troops  for 
General  Terry's  command.     Both  boats  landed,  and  almost  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO    BILL. 


299 


first  person  I  met  was  my  old  friend  and  partner,  Texas  Jack, 
who  had  been  sent  out  as  a  dispatch  carrier  for  the  New  York 
HeraU, 

General  Whistler,  upon  learning  that  General  Terry  had  left 
the  Yellowstone,  asked  me  to  carry  to  him  some  important  dis- 
patches from  General  Sheridan,  and  although  I  objected,  he 
insisted  upon  my  performing  this  duty,  saying  that  it  would 
only  detain  me  a  few  hours  longer ;  as  an  extra  inducement  he 
offered  me  the  use  of  his  own  thorough-bred  horse,  which  was 


CARSON  KILLS   AN  INDIAN   THIEF   AT   LONG   RANGE. 


on  the  boat.  I  finally  consented  to  go,  and  was  soon  speeding 
over  the  rough  and  hilly  country  towards  Powder  river,  and  I 
delivered  the  dispatches  to  General  Terry  the  same  evening. 
General  Whistler's  horse,  although  a  good  animal  was  not  used 
to  such  hard  riding,  and  was  far  more  exhausted  by  the  journey 
than  I  was. 

After  I  had  taken  a  lunch.  General  Terry  asked  me  if  I  would 
carry  some  dispatches  back  to  General  Whistler,  and  1  replied 
that  I  would.  Captain  Smith,  General  Terry's  aid-de-camp, 
offered  me  his  horse  for  the  trip,  and  it  proved  to  be  an  excel- 


300  STORY   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

lent  animal ;  for  I  rode  him  that  same  night  forty  miles  over  the 
bad  lands  in  four  hours,  and  reached  General  Whistler's  steam- 
boat at  one  o'clock.  During  my  absence  the  Indians  had  made 
their  appearance  on  the  different  hills  in  the  vicinity,  and  the 
troops  from  the  boat  had  had  several  skirmishes  with  them. 
When  General  Whistler  had  finished  reading  the  dispatches,  he 
said:  *'  Cody,  I  want  to  send  information  to  General  Terry  con- 
cerning the  Indians  who  have  been  skirmishing  around  here  all 
day.  I  have  been  trying  all  the  evening  long  to  induce  some 
one  to  carry  my  dispatches  to  him,  but  no  one  seems  willing  to 
undertake  the  trip,  and  I  have  got  to  fall  back  on  you.  It  is 
asking  a  great  deal,  I  know,  as  you  have  just  ridden  eighty 
miles;  but  it  is  a  case  of  necessity,  and  if  you'll  go  Cody,  I'll 
see  that  you  are  well  paid  for  it." 

*'  Never  mind  about  the  pay,"  said  I,  **  but  get  your  dispatches 
ready  and  I'll  start  at  once." 

A   TERRIBLE    JOURNEY. 

In  a  few  minutes  he  handed  me  the  package  and,  mounting 
the  same  horse  which  I  had  ridden  from  General  Terry's  camp, 
I  struck  out  for  my  destination.  It  was  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning  when  I  left  the  boat,  and  at  eight  o'dock  I  rode  into 
General  Terry's  camp,  just  as  he  was  about  to  march  —  having 
made  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  in  twenty-two  hours. 

General  Terry,  after  reading  the  dispatches,  halted  his  com- 
mand and  then  rode  on  and  overtook  General  Crook,  with  whom 
he  held  a  council ;  the  result  was  that  Crook's  command  moved 
on  in  the  direction  which  they  had  been  pursuing,  while  Terry's 
forces  marched  back  to  the  Yellowstone  and  crossed  the  river 
on  steamboats.  At  the  urgent  request  of  General  Terry  I  ac- 
companied the  command  on  a  scout  in  the  direction  of  the  Dry 
fork  of  the  Missouri,  where  it  was  expected  we  would  strike 
some  Indians. 

The  first  march  out  from  the  Yellowstone  was  made  in  the 
night,  as  we  wished  to  get  into  the  hills  without  being  discovered 
by  the  Sioux  scouts.     After  marching  three  days,  a  little  to  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  301 

east  of  north,  we  reached  the  buffalo  range  and  discovered  fresh 
signs  of  Indians,  who  had  evidently  been  killing  buffaloes* 
General  Terry  now  called  on  me  to  carry  dispatches  to  Colonel 
Rice,  who  was  still  camped  at  the  mouth  of  Glendive  creek,  on 
the  Yellowstone  —  distant  about  eighty  miles  from  us. 

Night  had  set  in  with  a  storm  and  a  drizzling  rain  was  falling 
when,  at  ten  o'clock,  I  started  on  this  ride  through  a  section  of 
country  with  which  I  was  entirely  unacquainted.  I  traveled 
'through  the  darkness  a  distance  of  about  thirty-five  miles,  and 
at  daylight  I  rode  into  a  secluded  spot  at  the  head  of  a  ravine 
where  stood  a  bunch  of  ash  trees  and  there  I  concluded  to  remain 
till  night,  for  I  considered  it  a  dangerous  undertaking  to  cross 
the  wide  prairies  in  broad  daylight  —  especially  as  my  horse  was 
a  poor  one.  I  accordingly  unsaddled  my  animal  and  ate  a  hearty 
breakfast  of  bacon  and  hard  tack  which  I  had  stored  in  the  saddle- 
pockets;  then,  after  taking  a  smoke,  I  lay  down  to  sleep,  with 
my  saddle  for  a  pillow.  In  a  few  minutes  I  was  in  the  land  of 
dreams. 

LYING  LOW. 

After  sleeping  some  time  —  I  can't  tell  how  long  —  I  was 
suddenly  awakened  by  a  roaring,  rumbling  sound.  I  instantly 
seized  my  gun,  sprang  to  my  horse  and  hurriedly  secreted  him 
in  the  brush.  Then  I  climbed  up  the  steep  side  of  the  bank  and 
cautiously  looked  over  the  summit ;  in  the  distance  I  saw  a  large 
herd  of  buffaloes  which  were  being  chased  and  fired  at  by  twenty 
or  thirty  Indians.  Occasionally  a  buffalo  would  drop  out  of  the 
herd,  but  the  Indians  kept  on  until  they  had  killed  ten  or  fifteen. 
They  then  turned  back  and  began  to  cut  up  their  game. 

I  saddled  my  horse  and  tied  him  to  a  small  tree  where  I  could 
reach  him  conveniently  in  case  the  Indians  should  discover  me 
by  finding  my  trail  and  following  it.  I  then  crawled  carefully 
back  to  the  summit  of  the  bluff,  and  in  a  concealed  position 
watched  the  Indians  for  two  hours  ^  during  which  time  they  were 
occupied  in  cutting  up  the  buffaloes  and  packing  the  meat  on 
their  ponies.     When  they  had  finished  this  work  they  rode  off  in 


302 


STOKY    OF  THE    WILD    WEST» 


the  direction  whence  they  had  come  and  on  the  line  which  I  had 
proposed  to  travel.  It  appeared  evident  to  me  that  their  camp 
was  located  somewhere  between  me  and  Glendive  creek,  but  I 
had  no  idea  of  abandoning  the  trip  on  that  account. 

I  waited  till  nightfall  before  resuming  my  journey,  and  then  I 
bore  off  to  the  east  for  several  miles,  and  by  making  a  semi- 
circle to  avoid  the  Indians,  I  got  back  on  my  original  course, 
and  then  pushed  on  rapidly  to  Colonel  Rice's  camp,  which  1 
reached  just  at  daylight. 


WATCHING   THE    HOSTILES. 

Colonel  Rice  had  been  fighting  Indians  almost  every  day  since 
he  had  been  encamped  at  this  point,  and  he  was  very  anxious  to 
notify  General  Terry  of  the  fact.  Of  course  I  was  requested  to 
carry  his  dispatches.  After  remaining  at  Glendive  a  single  day 
I  started  back  to  find  General  Terry,  and  on  the  third  day  I  over- 
hauled him  at  the  head  of  Deer  creek  while  on  his  way  to 
Colonel  Rice's  camp.  He  was  not,  however,  going  in  the  right 
direction,  but  bearing  too  far  to  the  east,  and  I  so  informed  him. 
He  then  asked  me  to  guide  the  command  and  I  did  so. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  303 

On  arriving  at  Glendive  I  bade  good-bye  to  the  General  and 
his  officers  and  took  passage  on  the  steamer  Far  West,  which 
was  on  her  way  down  the  Missouri.  At  Bismarck  I  left  the 
steamer,  and  proceeded  by  rail  to  Rochester,  New  York,  where 
I  met  my  family  Mr.  J.  Clinton  Hall,  manager  of  the  Roches- 
ter Opera  Hous^  was  very  anxious  to  have  me  play  an  engage- 
ment at  his  theater,  so  I  agreed  to  open  the  season  with  him  as 
soon  as  I  had  got  my  drama  written;  and  I  did  so,  meeting  with 
an  enthusiastic  reception. 

My  new  drama  was  arranged  for  the  stage  by  J.  V.  Arlington, 
the  actor.  It  was  a  five-act  play,  without  head  or  tail,  and 
it  made  no  diffarence  at  which  act  we  commenced  the  per- 
formance. Before  we  had  finished  the  season  several  news- 
paper critics,  I  have  been  told,  went  crazy  in  trying  to 
follow  the  plot.  It  afforded  us,  however,  ample  opportunity 
to  give  a  noisy,  rattling,  gunpowder  entertainment,  and  to  pre- 
sent a  succession  of  scenes  in  the  late  Indian  war,  all  of  which 
seemed  to  give  general  satisfaction. 

RETURN  TO  THE   MIMIC    STAGE. 

From  Rochester  I  went  to  New  York  and  played  a  very  suc- 
cessful engagement  at  the  Grand  Opera  House  under  the  man- 
agement of  Messrs.  Poole  and  Donnelly.  Thence  my  route  took 
me  to  all  the  principal  cities  in  the  Eastern,  Western  and  Middle 
States,  and  I  everywhere  met  with  crowded  houses.  I  then  went 
to  the  Pacific  Coast,  against  the  advice  of  friends  who  gave  it  as 
their  opinion  that  my  style  of  plays  would  not  take  very  well  in 
California.  I  opened  for  an  engagement  of  two  weeks  at  the 
Bush  Street  Theater,  in  San  Francisco,  in  a  season  when  the 
theatrical  business  was  dull  and  Ben  DeBar  and  the  Lingards 
were  playing  there  to  empty  seats.  I  expected  to  play  to  a  slim 
audience  on  the  opening  night,  but  instead  of  that  I  had  a  four- 
teen hundred  dollar  house.  Such  was  my  success  that  I  con- 
tinued my  engagement  for  five  weeks,  and  the  theater  was 
crowded  at  every  performance.  Upon  leaving  San  Francisco  I 
made  a  circuit  of  the  interior  towns  and  closed  the  season  at 
Virginia  City,  Nevada. 

u 


304  STORY   OF  THE   WILD  WEST. 

Some  time  previously  I  had  made  arrangements  to  go  into  th' 
cattle  business  in  company  with  my  old  friend,  Major  Frank 
North,  and  while  I  was  in  California  he  had  built  our  ranches  on 
the  South  fork  of  the  Dismal  river,  sixty-five  miles  north  of 
North  Platte,  in  Nebraska.  Proceeding  to  O^alalla,  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Texas  cattle  drovers,  I  found  Major  North  there 
awaiting  me,  and  together  we  bought,  branded  and  drove  to  our 
ranches  our  first  installment  of  cattle.  This  occupied  us  during 
the  remainder  of  the  summer. 

Leaving  the  cattle  in  charge  of  Major  North,  I  visited  Red 
Cloud  Agency  early  in  the  fall,  and  secured  some  Sioux  Indians 
to  accompany  me  on  my  theatrical  tour  of  1877-78.  Taking  my 
family  and  the  Indians  with  me,  I  went  directly  to  Rochester, 
There  I  left  my  oldest  daughter,  Arta,  at  a  young  ladies'  semi* 
nary,  while  my  wife  and  youngest  child  traveled  with  me  during 
the  season. 

I  opened  at  the  Bowery  Theater,  New  York,  September  3d, 
1877,  with  a  new  border  drama  entitled,  <*  May  Cody,  or  Lost 
and  Won,"  from  the  pen  of  Major  A.  S.  Burt,  of  the  United  States 
army.  It  was  founded  on  the  incidents  of  the  «*  Mountain 
Meadow  Massacre,"  and  life  among  the  Mormons.  It  was  the 
best  drama  I  had  yet  produced,  and  proved  a  grand  success  both 
financially  and  artistically.  The  season  of  1877-78  was  the 
most  profitable  one  I  had  ever  had. 

In  February,  1878,  my  wife  became  tired  of  travelmg,  and 
proceeded  to  North  Platte,  Nebraska,  where,  on  our  farm  ad- 
joining the  town,  she  personally  superintended  the  erection  of  a 
comfortable  family  residence,  and  had  it  all  completed  when  I 
reached  there,  early  in  May.  In  this  house  we  are  now  living, 
and  we  hope  to  make  it  our  home  for  many  years  to  come. 

ON"  A   ROUND  UP. 

After  my  arrival  at  North  Platte,  I  found  that  the  ranchmen, 
or  cattlemen,  had  organized  a  regular  annual  **  round-up,"  to 
take  place  in  the  spring  of  the  year. 

The  word  **  round-up  "   is  derived  from  the  fact  that  during 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF   BUFFALO  BILL. 


305 


the  winter  months  the  cattle  become  scattered  over  a  vast  tract 
of  land,  and  the  ranchmen  assemble  together  in  the  spring  to 
sort  out  and  each  secure  his  own  stock.  They  form  a  large  cir- 
cle, often  of  a  circumference  of  two  hundred  miles,  and  drive 
the  cattle  toward  a  common  center,  where,  all  stock  being 
branded,  each  owner  can  readily  separate  his  own  from  the  gen- 
eral herd,  and  then  he  drives  them  to  his  own  ranch. 

In  this  cattle  driving  business  is  exhibited  some  most  magnifi- 
cent horsemanship,  for  the  "  cow-boys,"  as  they  are  called,  are 
invariably  skillful  and  fearless  horsemen — in  fact  only  a  most 


ON  THE   ROUND   UP. 

expert  rider  could  be  a 
cow-boy,  as  it  requires 
the  greatest  dexterity 
and  daring  in  the  saddle 
to  cut  a  wild  steer  out  of 
the  herd.  Major  North 
was  awaiting  me,  upon 
my  arrival  at  North 
Platte,  having  with  him  our  own  horses  and  men.  Other  cattle 
owners,  such  as  Keith  and  Barton,  Coe  and  Carter,  Jack  Pratt,  the 
Walker  brothers,  Guy  and  Sim  Lang,  Arnold  and  Ritchie  and  a 
great  many  others  with  their  outfits,  were  assembled  and  were 
ready  to  start  on  the  round-up. 

As  there  is  nothing  but  hard  work  on  these  r^  and-ups,  having 
to  be  in  the  saddle  all  day,  and  standing  guard  over  the  cattle  at 
night,  rain  or  shine,  I  could  not  possibly  find  out  where  the  fun 
came  in  that  North  had  promised  me.  But  it  \ras  an  exciting  life, 
and  the  days  sped  rapidly  by ;  in  six  weeks  we  found  ourselvel 


306  STORY   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

at  our  own  ranch  on  Dismal  river,  the  round-up  having  proved  a 
great  success,  as  we  had  found  all  our  cattle  and  driven  them  home. 
This  work  being  over,  I  proposed  to  spend  a  few  weeks  with 
my  family  at  North  Platte,  for  the  purpose  of  making  their 
better  acquaintance,  for  my  long  and  continued  absence  from 
home  made  me  a  comparative  stranger  under  my  own  roof. 
One  great  source  of  pleasure  to  me  was  that  my  wife  was  de- 
lighted with  the  home  I  had  given  her  amid  the  prairies  of  the 
far  West.  Soon  after  my  arrival,  my  sisters,  Nellie  and  May, 
came  to  make  us  a  visit,  and  a  delightful  time  we  had  during 
their  stay.  When  they  left  us  I  accompanied  them  to  their 
home  in  Denver,  Colorado,  where  I  passed  several  days  visiting 
old  friends  and  scenes.  Proceeding  thence  to  Ogallala  I  pur- 
chased from  Bill  Phant,  an  extensive  cattle  drover  from  Texas, 
a  herd  of  cattle,  which  I  drove  to  my  ranch  on  the  Dismal  river, 
after  which  I  bade  my  partner  and  the  boys  good-bye,  and 
started  for  the  Indian  Territory  to  procure  Indians  for  mv 
Dramatic  Combination  for  the  season  of  1878-79. 

PUTTING   REAL  INDIANS   ON   THE   STAGE. 

Having  secured  my  Indian  actors,  and  along  with  them  Mr.  C. 
A.  Burgess,  a  government  interpreter,  and  Ed.  A.  Burgess, 
known  as  the  "  Boy  Chief  of  the  Pawnees,"  I  started  for  Balti- 
more, where  I  organized  my  combination,  and  which  was  the 
largest  troupe  I  had  had  yet  on  the  road,  opening  in  that  city  at 
the  Opera  House,  under  the  management  of  Hon.  John  T.  Ford, 
and  then  started  on  a  southern  tour,  playing  in  Washington, 
Richmond  and  as  far  south  as  Savannah,  Georgia,  where  we 
were  brought  to  a  sudden  halt,  owing  to  the  yellow  fever  which 
was  then  cruelly  raging  in  the  beautiful  cities  of  the  *'  Land  of 
the  cotton  and  the  cane,*' 


THE  Wild  West  in  England. 


]  HEN  the  season  of  1882-83 
^^^is.  closed  I  found  myself  richer 
by  several  thousand  dollars 
than  I  had  ever  been  before, 
"\  )  having  done  a  splendid 
business  at  every  place 
where  my  performance 
was  given  in  that  3^ear.  Im- 
mense success  and  compara- 
tive wealth,  attained  in  the 
profession  of  showman,  stimu- 
lated me  to  greater  exertion  and  largely  increased  my  ambi- 
tion for  public  favor.  Accordingly,  I  conceived  the  idea  of 
organizing  a  large  company  of  Indians,  cow-boys,  Mexican 
vaqueros,  famous  riders  and  expert  lasso  throwers,  with  acces- 
sories of  stage  coach,  emigrant  wagons,  bucking  horses  and  a 
herd  of  buffaloes,  with  which  to  give  a  realistic  entertainment  of 
wild  life  on  the  plains.  To  accomplish  this  purpose,  which  in 
many  respects  was  a  really  herculean  undertaking,  I  sent  agents 
to  various  points  in  the  far  West  to  engage  Indians  from  several 
different  tribes,  and  then  set  about  the  more  difficult  enterprise 
of  capturing  a  herd  of  buffaloes.  After  several  months  of 
patient  work  I  secured  the  services  of  nearly  fifty  cow-boys  and 
Mexicans  skilled  in  lasso-throwing  and  famous  as  daring  riders, 
but  when  these  were  engaged,  and  several  buffaloes,  elk  and 
mountain  sheep  \vere  obtained,  I  found  all  the  difficulties^  had 

307 


308  STORY   OF  THE  WILD   WEST. 

not  yet  been  overcome,  for  such  exhibitions  as  I  had  prepared  to 
give  could  only  be  shown  in  large  open-air  enclosures,  and  these 
were  not  always  to  be  rented,  while  those  that  I  found  suitable 
were  often  inaccessible  by  such  popular  conveyances  as  street 
cars.  The  expenses  of  such  a  show  as  I  had  determined  to  give 
were  so  great  that  a  very  large  crowd  must  be  drawn  to  every 
exhibition  or  a  financial  failure  would  be  certain ;  hence  I  soon 
found  that  my  ambitious  conception,  instead  of  bringing  me 
fortune,  was  more  likely  to  end  in  disaster.  But  having  gone 
so  far  in  the  matter  I  determined  to  see  the  end  whatever  it 
might  be. 

In  the  spring  of  1883  (May  17th)  I  opened  the  Wild  West 
Show  at  the  fair  grounds  in  Omaha,  and  played  to  very  large 
crowds,  the  weather  fortunately  proving  propitious.  We  played 
our  next  engagement  at  Springfield,  111.,  and  thence  in  all  the 
large  cities,  to  the  seaboard.  The  enterprise  was  not  a  complete 
financial  success  during  the  first  season,  though  everywhere  our 
performances  were  attended  by  immense  audiences. 

NATE  SALSBURY  JOINS  ME  AS  A  PARTNER. 

Though  I  had  made  no  money  at  the  end  of  the  first  year,  the 
profit  came  to  me  in  the  way  of  valuable  experience  and  I  was  in 
no  wise  discouraged.  Flattering  offers  were  made  me  by  circus 
organizations  to  go  on  the  road  as  an  adjunct  to  their  exhibitions, 
but  I  refused  them  all,  determined  to  win  success  with  my  prairie 
Wild  West  Show  or  go  down  in  complete  failure.  The  very  large 
patronage  I  received  during  my  first  season  convinced  me  that  if 
I  could  form  a  partnership  with  some  one  capable  of  attending  to 
the  management  and  business  details  that  the  enterprise  would 
prove  a  magnificent  success,  a  belief  which  I  am  glad  to  say  was 
speedily  realized. 

My  career  on  the  stage  threw  me  in  contact  with  a  great  many 
leading  stars,  and  I  came  to  have  an  acquaintanceship  with  nearly 
all  my  contemporary  American  actors.  Among  those  with  whom 
I  became  most  intimate  was  Nate  Salsbury,  a  comedian  whose 
equal  I  do  cot  believe  graces  the  stage  of  either  America  or  En- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO    BILL. 


309 


gland  to-day.  Aside  from  his  popularity  and  wealth,  acquired  in 
legitimate  comedy,  I  knew  him  to  be  a  reliable  friend,  and  withal 
endowed  with  a  rare  business  sagacity  that  gave  him  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  one  of  the  very  best,  as  well  as  successful,  managers 
in  the  show  business.     Knowing  his  character  as  such,  I  ap- 


NATE   SALSBUEY. 


proached  him  with  a  proposition  to  join  me  as  an  equal  partner, 
in  putting  the  Wild  West  entertainment  again  on  the  road.  The 
result  of  my  overtures  was  the  formation  of  a  partnership  that 
still  continues,  and  under  the  new  management  and  partner  snip 
of  Cody  &  Salsbury,  the  Wild  West  has  won  all  its  glory. 


310  STORY    OF   THE   WILD   WEST. 

The  reader  will  pardon  a  digression  from  the  general  scope  of 
this  autobiography  for  the  probably  more  interesting,  though  all 
too  brief,  allusion  to  the  career  of  my  esteemed  partner,  who  has 
won  success  in  life  by  struggles  quite  as  difficult  and  trying  as 
any  through  which  I  have  passed. 

Nate  (Nathan)  Salsbury  was  born  in  Freeport,  111.,  in  1846, 
when  his  parents  were  in  such  humble  circumstances  that  his 
early  training  was  all  in  the  direction  of  *  *  digging  sand  and  saw- 
ing wood."  As  there  was  little  to  bind  his  affections  to  the 
home  of  his  nativity,  when  the  war  broke  out  Nate  joined  the  Fif 
teenth  Illinois,  with  which  he  remained,  as  a  private  in  the  ranks, 
sixteen  months.  In  1863  he  again  enlisted  and  participated  in 
a  dozen  battles  and  was  wounded  three  times.  His  career  as  an 
active  participant  was  terminated  by  his  capture  and  incarceration 
in  Andersonville  prison,  where  he  remained  subjected  to  all  the 
horrors  of  that  dreadful  pen  for  a  period  of  seven  months.  Be- 
ing at  length  exchanged  he  returned  home  and  entered  the  law 
office  of  Judge  Beck,  now  Chief  Justice  of  Colorado,  with  the 
idea  of  becoming  a  lawyer.  A  few  months  of  office  study  and  at- 
tendance at  commercial  school  only  served  to  impress  him  with 
the  idea  that  the  profession  would  still  have  a  fairly  large  mem- 
bership even  though  his  name  were  not  added  to  the  list.  Aban- 
doning his  former  expectations  he  went  to  school  for  a  time  and 
in  the  class  exhibitions  and  amateur  theatricals  of  his  town  de- 
veloped a  desire  to  go  on  the  stage. 

The  first  experience  Nate  had  in  search  of  a  crown  for  his 
greatest  ambition  was  far  from  a  pleasant  one;  Having  saved 
up  less  than  a  score  of  dollars  he  went  to  Grand  Eapids,  Mich., 
and  there  made  application  of  the  Opera  House  managers,  Johnson, 
Gates  &  Hayden,  for  a  situation.  Mr.  Gates  asked  him  his 
line  of  business  to  which  Nate  modestly  replied,  **  Gh,  anything." 
*<  Well,"  said  Gates,  "  what  salary  do  you  expect?"  **  Gh,  any- 
thing," was  the  equally  prompt  response.  Seeing  that  the  ap- 
plicant had  evidentl}^  not  yet  passed  the  threshhold  of  the  pro- 
fession. Gates  said  to  him,  in  an  indifferent  manner.  **  I  will 
give  you  twelve  dollars  a  week  and  you*  11  be  d — d  lucky  if  you 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  311 

get  a  cent/*  He  didn't;  but  he  entered  the  profession,  which 
was  the  next  best  thing. 

From  Grand  Rapids  Nate  went  to  Detroit,  where  he  remained 
three  months  without  advancing  himself  either  financially  or 
professionally.  Somewhat  discouraged  he  returned  to  his  Illi- 
nois home,  but  only  to  stay  a  few  months,  when  his  restless  am- 
bition prompted  him  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  East.  Accordingly 
he  went  to  Baltimore,  and  thence  to  Boston,  where  he  secured  a 
situation  at  the  Boston  Museum  with  a  salary  of  twelve  dollars 
per  week.  Here  his  talent  was  soon  discovered  by  the  manage- 
ment, who  raised  his  salary  to  a  twenty-eight  dollars  per  week. 
Others  also  saw  the  budding  genius  of  Nate  and  after  playing  a 
season  at  the  Museum  he  accepted  the  position  of  leading  heavy 
man  at  Hooley's  theater  in  Chicago. 

His  progress  thenceforward  was  rapid,  as  his  popularity  grew 
apace  and  his  salary  rose  with  every  new  engagement.  But  there 
was  too  much  originality  in  the  man  to  permit  of  him  remaining 
a  member  of  a  stock  company,  so  at  the  conclusion  of  his  second 
season  at  Hooley's  he  conceived  and  constructed  a  comedy  enter- 
tainment, with  eight  people  in  the  cast,  to  which  he  gave  the 
title  of  *'  The  Troubadours."  For  twelve  years  this  organiza- 
tion, as  originally  formed,  with  very  slight  changes,  continued 
on  the  road  and  played  repeatedly  in  all  the  largest  cities  with 
splendid  success. 

Following  **  The  Troubadours,"  Nate  wrote  another  comedy, 
called  **  Patchwork,"  which  had  a  run  of  eighteen  months,  and 
then  he  brought  out  his  most  successful  comedy,  **  The  Brook," 
which  he  wrote  entire  in  eight  hours,  and  at  a  single  sitting.  This 
piece  he  played  continuously  for  five  years,  making  a  large 
amount  of  money  and  pleasing  millions  of  people,  until  he  joined 
me  and  took  the  active  management  of  the  Wild  West  Show, 
which  compelled  him  to  withdraw  from  the  stage. 

A   BIGGER   SHOW  PUT  ON   THE   ROAD. 

Immediately  upon  forming  a  partnership  with  Salsbury  we  set 
about  increasing  the  company  anj^  preparing  to  greatly  enlarge 


312 


STORY   OF  THE   WILD   WEST, 


the  exhibition.     Nearly  one  hundred  Indians 

were  engaged,  among  the  number  being  the 

Sitting  Bull,  and  several 

had  distinguished  them 

massacre.  Besides  these 

services  of  many  noted 

Buck  Taylor,  the  great 

er  and   King    of     the 

Frank,    John    Nelson, 

other  well-known   char 

captured  a  herd  of  elk, 

and  some    bears    with 

the  chase. 


,  from  several  tribes, 
world  famous  Chief 
other  Sioux  that 
selves  in  the  Custer 
we  secured  the 
plainsmen,  such  as 
rider,  lasso  throw- 
Cowboys  ;  Utah 
and  a  score  of 
acters.  We  also 
a  dozen  buffaloes 
which  to  illustrate 


SITTING  BULL. 


THE   SHOW  IS   DUMPED  INTO  THE  MISSISSIPPI. 

Our  vastly  enlarged  and  reorganized  company  gave  daily  ex- 
hibitions in  all  the  large  cities  to  enormous  crowds  during  the 
summer  of  1884,  and  in  the  fall  we  started  for  New  Orleans  to 
spend  the  winter  exhibiting  at  the  Exposition  Grounds.  We  ac- 
cordingly chartered   a  steamer  to  transport  our  property  and 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  313 

troupe  to  the  Cresoont  City.  Nothing  of  moment  transpired  on 
the  trip  until  we  were  near  Rodney  Landing,  Miss.,  when  our  boat 
collided  with  another  and  was  so  badly  damaged  that  she  sank  in 
less  than  an  hour.  In  this  accident  we  lost  all  our  personal  effects, 
including  wagons,  camp  equipage,  arms,  ammunition,  donkeys,  buffa- 
loes and  one  elk.  We  managed,  however,  to  save  our  horses.  Dead- 
wood  coach,  band  wagon,  and — ourselves.  The  loss  thus  entailed 
was  about  $20,000. 

As  soon  as  I  could  reach  a  telegraph  station  I  hastily  sent  a 
telegram  to  Salsbury,  who  was  with  the  Troubadours  at  Denver, 
as  follows:  *' Outfit  at  bottom  of  the  river,  what  do  you  ad- 
vise?"  As  I  learned  afterwards,  Salsbury  was  just  on  the  point 
of  going  upon  the  stage  to  sing  a  song  when  my  rueful  telegram 
was  handed  him.  The  news  hit  him  hard,  but  in  no  wise  discon- 
certed him  ;  stepping  to  the  speaking  tube  connecting  with  the 
orchestra  he  shouted  to  the  leader,  *'  Play  that  symphony  again 
and  a  little  louder,  I  want  to  think  a  minute."  As  the  music 
struck  up  he  wrote  out  the  following  message :  *  *  Go  to  New  Or 
leans,  reorganize  and  open  on  your  date,"  which  I  received  and 
promptly  complied  with  his  instructions. 

In  eight  days  I  had  added  to  the  nucleus  that  had  been  saved  a 
herd  of  buffalo  and  elk,  and  all  the  necessary  wagons  and  other 
properties,  completing  the  equipment  so  thoroughly  that  the 
show  in  many  respects  was  better  prepared  than  at  the  time  of 
the  accident  —  and  we  opened  on  our  date. 

A  SEASON  IN  NEW  YORK. 

The  New  Orleans  exposition  did  not  prove  the  success  that 
many  of  its  promoters  anticipated  and  the  expectations  of  Mr. 
Salsbury  and  myself  were  alike  disappointed,  for  at  the  end  of 
the  winter  we  counted  our  losses  at  about  $60,000. 

The  following  summer  we  played  at  Staten  Island,  on  the 
magnificent  grounds  of  Mr.  Erastus  Wiman,  and  met  with  such 
splendid  success  that  our  losses  at  New  Orleans  were  speedily  re- 
trieved. So  well  satisfied  were  we  with  New  York  that  we  leased 
Madison  Square  Garden  for  the  winter  of  1886-87  and  gave  our  ex- 


314  STORY   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

hibition  there  for  the  first  time  in  a  covered  space.  We  gave  two 
performances  every  day  during  the  entire  winter  and  nearly  al- 
ways played  to  crowded  houses,  though  the  seating  capacity  of 
the  place  was  about  15,000. 

AN  AMBITIOUS   BUT  HAZARDOUS   UNDERTAKING. 

The  immortal  bard  has  well  said, «'  ambition  grows  with  what  it 
feeds  on.''  So  with  Salsbury  and  I,  our  unexampled  success 
throughout  America  with  the  Wild  West  show  excited  our 
ambition  to  conquer  other  nations  than  our  own.  Though  the 
idea  of  transplanting  our  exhibition,  for  a  time,  to  England  had 
frequently  occurred  to  us,  the  importance  of  such  an  undertaking 
was  enlarged  and  brought  us  to  a  more  favorable  consideration 
of  the  project  by  repeated  suggestions  from  prominent  persons 
of  America,  and  particularly  by  urgent  invitations  extended  by 
distinguished  Englishmen.  While  inclined  to  the  enterprise  we 
gave  much  thought  to  the  enormous  expense  involved  zn  such 
a  step  and  might  not  have  decided  so  soon  to  try  the  rather  haz- 
ardous experiment  but  for  an  opportunity  that  promised  to  large- 
ly increase  our  chances  of  success. 

Several  leading  gentlemen  of  the  United  States  conceived  the 
idea  of  holding  an  American  Exhibition  in  the  heart  of  London 
and  to  this  end  a  company  was  organized  that  pushed  the  pro- 
ject to  a  successful  issue,  aided  as  they  were  by  several  prominent 
residents  of  the  English  capital.  When  the  enterprise  had  pro- 
gressed so  far  as  to  give  flattering  promise  of  an  opening  at  the 
time  fixed  upon ,  a  proposition  was  made  to  Mr.  Salsbury  and  myself, 
by  the  president  and  directors  of  the  company,  to  take  our  show 
to  London  and  play  the  season  of  six  months  as  an  adjunct  of  the 
American  Exhibition,  the  proposition  being  a  percentage  of  the 
gate  receipts. 

After  a  mature  consideration  of  the  offer  we  accepted  it  and 
inimediately  set  about  enlarging  our  organization  and  preparing 
for  a  departure  for  England. 

A  great  deal  of  preliminary  work  was  necessary,  but  we  set 
manfully  about  the  task  of  securing  the  services  of  a  hundred 


316  STORY   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

Indians,  representative  types  of  the  Sioux,  Cheyenne,  Kiowa, 
Pawnee  and  Ogalallas  tribes,  and  succeeded  in  getting  the  re- 
quired number,  none  of  whom  had  ever  been  off  their  reserva- 
tions prior  to  joining  my  show.  Among  the  prominent  chiefs 
thus  engaged  was  Eed  Shirt,  a  redoubtable  warrior  and  second 
only  in  influence  to  Sitting  Bull  himself.  A  short  while  before 
his  engagement  with  us  he  had  quelled  an  uprising  among  his 
people,  instigated  by  a  pretender  to  the  chieftainship  of  the 
tribe,  by  invading  the  pretender's  camp  with  only  two  of  his 
followers  and  shooting  the  leader  dead  before  the  eyes  of  his 
affrighted  wife.  This  fearless  act  had  served  to  elevate  him  very 
much  in  the  eyes  of  his  people,  who  thereafter  accepted  him  as 
a  leader.  When,  therefore,  he  decided  to  join  the  Wild  West 
show,  under  the  flattering  offers  I  made  him,  his  influence  aided 
us  very  much  in  procuring  our  complement  of  Indians,  not  only 
from  his  own  tribe,  but  from  others  as  well. 

SEEKING   NEW   WORLDS   TO    CONQUER. 

Our  arrangements  having  at  length  been  completed,  by  col' 
lecting  together  a  company  of  more  than  two  hundred  men  and 
animals,  consisting  of  Indians,  cowboys,  (including  the  celebrated 
Cowboy  band,)  Mexican  wild  riders,  celebrated  rifle  shots,  buf- 
faloes, Texas  steers,  burros,  bronchos,  racing  horses,  elk,  bears, 
and  an  immense  amount  of  camp  paraphernalia,  such  as  tents, 
wagons,  stage  coach,  etc.,  we  chartered  the  steamship  State  of 
Nebraska,  of  the  State  line,  Capt.  Braes,  and  were  ready  to  set  sail 
to  a  country  that  I  had  long  wished  to  visit, —  the  Motherland. 
Accordingly,  on  Thursday,  March  31st,  1887,  we  set  sail  from 
New  York,  the  piers  crowded  with  thousands  of  our  good  friends 
who  came  down  to  wave  their  adieux  and  to  wish  us  a  pleasant 
voyage.  Our  departure  was  an  occasion  I  shall  never  forget, 
for  as  the  ship  drew  away  from  the  pier  such  cheers  went  up  as 
I  never  before  heard,  while  our  Cowboy  band  played  **  The  Girl 
I  left  Behind  Me  "  in  a  manner  that  suggested  more  reality  man 
empty  sentiment  in  the  familiar  air.  Salsbury  and  I,  and  my 
daughter  Arta,  waved  our  hats  in  sad  farewells  and  stood  upon 


318  STORY   OF  THE    WILD   WEST. 

the  deck  watching  the  still  cheering  crowd  until  theyfao^  '\n 
the  distance,  and  we  were  out  upon  the  deep,  for  the  first  time 
in  my  life. 

THE   INDIANS*    FEARS   ARE  EXCITED. 

Before  starting  on  the  trip  several  of  the  Indians  expressed 
grave  fears  that  if  they  trusted  themselves  to  the  great  waters  a 
horrible  death  would  soon  overtake  them,  and  at  the  last  moment 
it  required  all  our  arts  of  persuasion  to  induce  them  to  go  on 
board. 

Eed  Shirt  explained  that  these  fears  were  caused  by  a  belief 
prevalent  among  many  tribes  of  Indians,  that  if  a  red  man  at- 
tempted to  cross  the  ocean,  soon  after  beginning  his  journey  he 
would  be  seized  of  a  malady  that  would  first  prostrate  the  victim 
and  then  slowly  consume  his  flesh,  day  after  day,  until  at  length 
the  very  skin  itself  would  drop  from  his  bones,  leaving  nothing 
but  the  skeleton  and  this  even  could  never  find  burial.  This 
gruesome  belief  was  repeated  by  chiefs  of  the  several  tribes  to 
the  Indians  who  had  joined  me,  so  that  there  is  little  reason  for 
wonder,  that  with  all  our  assurances,  the  poor  unlearned  children 
of  a  nature  run  riot  by  neglect,  should  hesitate  to  submit  them- 
selves to  such  an  experiment. 

On  the  day  following  our  departure  from  New  York  the  In- 
dians began  to  grow  weary  and  their  stomachs,  like  my  own,  be- 
came both  treacherous  and  rebellious.  Their  fears  were  now  so 
greatly  intensified  that  even  Red  Shirt,  the  bravest  of  his  people, 
looked  anxiously  towards  the  hereafter,  and  began  to  feel  his 
flesh  to  see  if  it  were  really  diminishing.  The  seal  of  hope- 
lessness stamped  upon  the  faces  of  the  Indians  aroused  my  pity, 
and  though  sick  as  a  cow  with  hollow-horn  myself,  I  used  my  ut- 
most endeavors  to  cheer  them  up  and  relieve  their  forebodings. 
But  for  two  days  nearly  the  whole  company  was  too  sick'f or  any 
other  active  service  than  feeding  the  fishes,  in  which  I  am  not 
proud  to  say  that  I  performed  more  than  an  ordinary  share. 
On  the  third  day,  however,  w^e  all  began  to  mend  so  far  that  I 
called  the  Indians  together  in  the  mam  saloon  and  gave  them  a 


820  STORY   OF    THE   WILD   WEST. 

Sunday  address,  as  did  also  Red  Shirt,  who  was  now  recovered 
from  his  anxiety  about  the  future. 

After  the  third  day  at  sea  we  had  an  entertainment  every  af- 
ternoon, in  which  Mr.  Salsbury,  as  singer  and  comedian,  took 
the  leading  part,  to  the  intense  delight  of  all  on  board.  On  the 
seventh  day  a  storm  came  up  that  raged  so  fiercely  that  for  a 
time  the  ship  had  to  lay  to,  and  during  which  our  stock  suffered 
greaily,  but  we  gave  them  such  good  care,  and  had  such  excellent 
luck  as  well,  that  none  of  our  animals,  save  one  horse,  died  on 
the  trip. 

*' OFF    GRAVESEND." 

At  last  as  we  cast  anchor  off  Gravesend  a  tug  boat  approaching 
attracted  the  entire  company  on  deck,  for  we  were  expecting  to 
meet  our  advance  manager,  Jno.  M.  Burke,  with  general  instruc- 
tions as  to  our  landing,  etc.  It  turned  out,  however,  to  be  a 
government  boat  loaded  with  custom-house  and  quarantine  offi- 
cials, under  whom  we  were  to  pass  the  usual  inspection.  Another 
official  accompanied  them,  with  whom  arrangements  had  been 
made  for  the  passage  of  our  arms,  as  a  restriction  was  placed 
upon  the  landing  of  our  ammunition,  of  which  we  had  brought  a 
large  quantity,  the  English  government  regulations  requiring  that 
it  be  unloaded  and  turned  over  to  the  arsenal  authorities,  in  whose 
charge  it  was  kept  during  our  stay  in  London,  we  drawing  on 
them  daily  for  our  supply  as  needed.  I  feel  in  duty  bound  to 
acknowledge  here  that  the  English  government,  through  its  dif- 
ferent officials,  extended  to  us  every  kind  of  courtesy,  privileges 
and  general  facilities  that  materially  assisted  in  rendering  pleasant 
the  last  few  hours  of  a  remarkable  voyage.  The  bovines  and 
buffalo  that  were  a  part  of  our  outfit  were  inspected,  and  a  special 
permit  granted  us  to  take  them  to  the  Albert  dock,  the  place  of 
our  debarkation,  and  after  holding  them  in  quarantine  there  for 
a  few  days  they  were  allowed  to  join  us  in  camp. 

Recent  disastrous  outbreaks  of  rinderpest,  foot  and  mouth  dis- 
ease, and  other  ills  that  bovine  flesh  is  heir  to,  necessitate  the 
law  being  very  strict  as  regards  importation  of  cattle,  all  foreign 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL  321 

beasts  being  required  to  be  killed  within  twenty-four  hours  after 
their  arrival. 

SOME   ANXIOUS    REFLECTIONS. 

uring  this  delay  time  was  given  me  for  reflection  and  gradu- 
ally as  my  eyes  wandered  over  the  crowded  waterway  with  its 
myriads  of  crafts  of  every  description,  from  the  quaint  channel 
fishinff-boat  to  the  mammoth  East  India  trader  and  ocean 
steamers,  topped  by  the  flags  of  all  nations  and  hailing  from 
every  accessible  part  of  the  known  world,  carrying  the  produc- 
tions of  every  clime  and  laden  with  every  commodity,  I  thought 
of  the  magnitude  of  the  enterprise  I  was  engaged  in  and  wonder- 
ed what  its  results  would  be. 

The  freight  I  had  brought  with  me  across  the  broad  Atlantic 
was  such  a  strange  and  curious  one  that  I  naturally  wondered 
whether,  after  all  trouble,  time  and  expense  it  had  cost  me,  this 
pioneer  cargo  of  Nebraska  goods  would  be  marketable.  In  fact, 
it  would  take  a  much  more  facile  pen  than  mine  to  portray  the 
thick  crowding  thoughts  that  scurried  through  my  brain.  Stand- 
ing on  the  deck  of  a  ship,  called  the  **  State  of  Nebraska,"  whose 
arrival  had  evidently  been  watched  for  with  great  curiosity,  as 
the  number  of  yachts,  tug  boats  and  other  crafts  which  surrounded 
us  attested,  my  memory  wandered  back  to  the  days  of  my  youth, 
Avhen  in  search  of  the  necessaries  of  existence  and  braving  the 
dangers  of  the  then  vast  wild  plains,  a  section  of  which  com- 
prised the  then  unsettled  territory  of  Nebraska.  I  contrasted 
that  epoch  of  my  life,  its  lonely  duties  and  its  hardships,  and  al 
its  complex  history,  as  the  home  and  battle-ground  of  a  savage 
foe,  with  its  present  great  prosperity  and  its  standing  as  the  em- 
pire State  of  the  central  West.  A  certain  feeling  of  pride  came 
over  me  when  I  thought  of  the  good  ship  on  whose  deck  I  stood, 
and  that  her  cargo  consisted  of  early  pioneers  and  rude,  rough 
riders  from  that  section,  and  of  the  wild  horses  of  the  same  dis- 
trict, buffalo,  deer,  elk  and  antelope — the  king  game  of  the 
prairie, —  together  with  over  one  hundred  representatives  of  that 
savage  foe  that  had  been  compelled  to  submit  to  a  conquering 


322  STORY  OF  THE   WILD  WEST. 

civilization  and  were  now  accompanying  me  in  friendship,  loyalty 
and  peace,  five  thousand  miles  from  their  homes,  braving  the 
dangers  of  the  to  them  great  unknown  sea,  now  no  longer  a 
tradition,  but  a  reality  —  all  of  us  combined  in  an  exhibition  in- 
tended to  prove  to  the  center  of  old  world  civilization  that  the 
vast  region  of  the  United  States  was  finally  and  effectively  settled 
by  the  English-speaking  race. 

OUR   RECEPTION   IN   ENGLAND. 

This  train  of  thought  was  interrupted  by  the  sight  of  a  tug 
with  the  starry  banner  flying  from  her  peak  bearing  down  upon 
us,  and  a  tumultuous  waving  of  handkerchiefs  on  board,  evoking 
shouts  and  cheers  from  all  our  company. 

As  the  tug  came  nearer,  strains  of  '*  The  Star  Spangled  Ban- 
ner," rendered  by  a  band  on  her  deck,  fell  upon  our  ears,  and 
immediately  our  own  Cowboy  band  responded  with  **  Yankee 
Doodle,"  creating  a  general  tumult  on  our  ship  as  the  word  was 
passed  from  bow  to  stern  that  friends  were  near.  Once  along- 
side, the  company  on  board  the  tug  proved  to  be  the  directors  of 
the  American  Exhibition,  with  Lord  Ronald  Gower  heading  a 
distinguished  committee  accompanied  by  Maj.  Burke  and  repre- 
sentatives of  the  leading  journals,  who  made  us  feel  at  last  that 
our  sea  voyage  was  ended. 

FIRST    IMPRESSIONS    OF    LONDON. 

After  the  usual  introductions,  greetings  and  reception  of  in- 
structions, I  accompanied  the  committee  on  shore  at  Gravesend, 
where  quite  an  ovation  was  given  us  amid  cries  of  "  Welcome  to 
old  England"  and  "three  cheers  for  Bill,"  which  gave  pleas- 
ing evidence  of  the  public  interest  that  had  been  awakened  in  our 
coming. 

A  special  train  of  saloon  carriages  was  waiting  to  convey  us  to 
London  and  we  soon  left  the  quaint  old  Kentish  town  behind  us, 
and  in  an  hour  we  arrived  at  Victoria  station.  The  high  road-bed 
of  the  railroad,  which  runs  level  with  the  chimney  tops,  was  a 
novel  sight,  as  we  scurried  along  through  what  seemed  to  be  an 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  323 

endless  sea  of  habitation,  and  I  have  scarcely  yet  found  out 
where  Gravesend  finishes  and  Locdon  commences,  so  dense  is  the 
population  of  the  suburbs  off  the  *'  boss  village  "  of  the  British 
Isles,  and  so  numerous  the  small  towns  through  which  we 
passed.  The  impression  created  by  the  grand  Victoria  station, 
by  the  underground  railroad,  the  strange  sights  and  busy  scenes 
of  the  *'  West  End,"  the  hustle  and  the  bustle  of  a  first  evening 
view  of  mighty  London,  would  alone  make  a  chapter. 

My  first  opinion  of  the  streets  was  that  they  were  sufficiently 
lively  and  noisy  to  have  alarmed  all  the  dogs  in  every  Indian 
village  in  the  Platte  country,  from  the  Missouri  river  to  the 
headwaters  of  the  Platte,  in  its  most  primitive  days, 

A  short  trip  on  the  somewhat  dark  and  sulphurous  under- 
ground railroad  brought  us  to  West  Kensington,  a  quiet  section 
of  the  West  End,  the  station  of  which  had  been  already  connected 
by  special  bridges,  then  nearly  completed,  with  the  grounds  as 
yet  unknown  to  London,  but  destined  to  become  the  scene  of 
several  months'  continuous  triumphs.  Entering  the  headquar- 
ters of  the  exhibition  we  found  a  bounteous  repast  set  and  a 
generous  welcome  accorded  us.  The  heartiness  of  my  reception, 
combined  with  the  natural  sense  of  relief  after  such  a  journey 
and  the  general  indications  of  success,  proved  a  happy  relaxa- 
tion of  the  nervous  strain  to  which  I  had  been  subjected  for  sev- 
eral weeks.  Speeches,  toasts  and  well  wishes,  etc.,  accompanied 
the  spirited  and  spirituous  celebration  of  the  occasion.  My 
genial  hosts'  capacity  for  the  liquid  refreshments  would  have 
made  me  envy  them  in  the  60s,  and  led  me  to  suspect  that  there 
might  be  accomplishments  in  England  in  which  even  western 
pioneers  are  excelled. 

PREPARING  THE  EXHIBITION  GROUNDS. 

After  brief  social  converse,  and  a  tranquilizing  smoke,  we 
made  a  easuai  visit  to  the  grounds,  where  the  preparations  for  the 
stabling,  the  aiena  and  the  grand  stand,  with  busy  hundreds  of 
workmen  hastenmg  their  completions  by  night  by  the  aid  of 
tucigen  lights  anc*  bon-fires,  presented  an  animated  scene,  and  a 


324  STORY   OF   THE    WILD   WEST. 

display  of  energy  rarely  witnessed  in  cjonnection  with  an  amuse- 
ment enterprise.  These  operations  were  dealing  with  the  expen- 
diture of  $125,000,  including  the  fencing  in  of  an  arena  more 
than  a  third  of  a  mile  in  circumference,  flanked  by  a  grand  stand 
filled  with  seats  and  boxes,  estimated  to  accommodate  20,000  per- 
sons. Sheltered  stands  for  10,000  more  were  also  being  erected  ; 
it  being  understood  that  room  for  40,000  spectators  in  all  should 
be  provided  at  each  performance.  For  the  Indian  encampment 
a  large  hill  had  been  thrown  up  by  spare  labor,  and  this  was  al- 
ready decorated  by  a  grove  of  newly  planted  trees.  The  stables 
for  horses,  mules  and  mustangs,  and  the  corrals  for  buffaloes, 
antelope,  elk,  etc.,  were  all  in  simultaneous  course  of  construction. 
Everything  so  far  impressed  me  very  favorably  and  I  began  to 
feel  that  if  we  did  not  command  success  we  would,  with  our  ad- 
Vantages  of  location,  surroundings  and  novelty  and  realism,  at 
least  deserve  it. 

The  interest  evinced  by  the  British  workmen  in  my  presence 
detracting  somewhat  from  their  attention  to  business,  caused  us 
to  retire  after  a  brief  inspection.  This  same  curiosity  however 
was  as  a  straw  indicating  which  way  the  wind  blew.  I  was  now, 
for  the  first  time,  introduced  in  its  own  habitat  to  that  world- 
famed  vehicle,  the  London  hansom  cab.  In  one  of  them  I  was 
whirled  through  the  West  End,  past  the  famous  Hyde  Park, 
through  Piccadilly,  around  Leicester  and  Trafalgar  squares,  to  that 
central  resort  and  theatrical  hub  of  this  vast  community,  the 
Strand.  This  narrow  street,  in  its  relation  to  the  great  city,  re- 
minded me  of  one  of  the  contracted  passes  in  the  **  Rockies,"  to 
which  traffic  had  been  naturally  attracted,  and  usage  had  made  a 
necessity.  The  density  of  its  foot  traffic,  the  thronging  herd  of 
omnibuses,  the  twisting,  wrigglmg,  shouting,  whip-cracking  cab- 
bies, seemed  like  Broadway  squeezed  narrower,  and  I  realized 
at  once  the  utility  and  necessity  of  the  two-wheeled  curio  in 
which  1  was  whirled  through  the  bewildering  mingle  of  Strand 
traffic.  With  but  one  or  two  hub-bumps  we  were  soon  landed  at 
the  magnificent  hotel  Metropole,  in  Northumberland  avenue, 
where  I  met  many  American  gentlemen  from  different  cities,  who 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  325 

recognized  me  on  sight  and  gave  me  hearty  greeting.  I  retired 
early,  determined  to  retrace  my  steps  to  Gravesend  at  daylight 
and  ascend  the  Thames  on  board  the  Nebraska,  as  my  great  anxiety 
was  the  successful  debarkation. 

ARRIVAL  AT  LONDON. 

On  an  early  tide  that  at  its  flood  I  now  felt  would  lead  on  to  for- 
tune, with  flags  flying  we  entered,  amid  a  perfect  ovation,  the  great 
port  of  London.  The  ship 's  officers  pointed  out  to  us  as  we  steamed 
by  them  the  places  of  historical  interest. 

With  each  horseman  looking  after  his  own  mount,  we  were  un- 
loaded with  a  rapidity  that  astonished  the  old  officials  and  hands  on 
the  docks.  Our  entire  outfit  was  as  quickly  loaded  upon  three  rail- 
way trains,  for  we  were  yet  twelve  miles  from  our  future  camp,  and 
speedily  we  were  delivered,  people  and  property,  at  the  Midland  rail- 
way depot,  alongside  the  grounds.  By  6  p.  m.  our  canvas  city  had 
sprung  up  in  the  heart  of  the  West  End  of  London,  and  from  our 
flagstaff  "Old  Glory"  floated  in  the  British  breeze.  The  Cowboy 
band  rendered  "The  Star-Spangled  Banner, '^  and  the  vast  crowds 
that  had  gathered  at  all  available  lookouts  gave  a  storm  of  cheers. 
This  was  gratifying,  and  as  an  evidence  of  appreciation  and  grati- 
tude the  band  gave  them  * '  God  Save  the  Queen. '  * 

Thus  the  Wild  West  and  Bill  Cody  of  Nebraska,  U.  S.  A.,  were  at 
home  in  camp  in  London. 

The  dining  tents  not  being  up  yet,  our  first  meal  was  taken  in  full 
view  of  our  kindly  and  curious  visitors.  The  meal  was  finished  by  7 
o'clock,  and  by  9  the  tired  occupants  of  the  camp,  Indians,  Mexicans, 
cowboys,  scouts,  men,  women  and  children  were  peacefully  and 
snugly  reposing  after  a  long  and  arduous  voyage. 

HELPFUL  INFLUENCE  OF  DISTINGUISHED  PERSONS. 

Henry  Irving,  the  great  actor ;  his  genial  friend,  John  Toole ;  Miss 
Ellen  Terry,  Justin  McCarthy,  M.  P. ;  Minister  Phelps,  Consul  Gen- 
eral Waller  and  Deputy  Consul  Moffet  assisted  us  greatly  in  the 
ceremonies  of  landing.  Our  own  Mary  Anderson,  Mrs.  Brown- 
Potter,  Henry  Labouchere,  Chas.  Wyndham,  and,  in  short,  all  the 


326  STORY   OF    THE   WILD   WEST. 

prominent  members  of  the  local  literati  and  theatrical  profession, 
took  immense  and  friendly  interest  in  our  enterprise. 

Lord  Ronald  Gower  and  hundreds  of  other  lords,  knights  and 
ladies  of  high  degree,  besides  a  host  of  distinguished  American  resi- 
dents of  London,  visited  our  camp  and  stables  before  the  regu- 
lar day  of  opening  to  give  expressions  of  friendship,  good-will  and 
encouragement. 

Our  motley  and  strange  people,  living  in  their  primitive  style,  and 
feats  of  our  horsemen  in  their  daily  exercises  were  deeply  interesting 
to  our  visitors  and  the  innate  English  love  of  horsemanship  presaged 
the  success  that  came  to  us. 

The  press  was  generous  to  us  to  an  extent  probably  never  known 
before.  Its  columns  teemed  daily  with  such  eulogistic  matter  con- 
cerning us  and  our  enterprise  that  I  almost  feared  we  might  not  come 
up  to  the  expectations  thus  raised. 

Beside  the  daily  newspapers  and  literary  magazines,  Punch  and 
the  other  humorous  periodicals  did  their  best  for  us,  after  their  man- 
ner, and  the  poets  were  melodious  about  us.  Shortly  I  began  to 
discover  that  my  lines  had  fallen  into  the  pleasant  places  that  London 
society  ascribes  to  what  it  is  pleased  to  term  '  *  the  distinguished  for- 
eigner." I  also  discovered  that,  at  least  in  such  cases  as  mine,  one 
should  have  as  many  lives  as  a  stack  of  black  cats,  all  working  at 
once,  or  else  have  the  attribute  of  ubiquity,  to  keep  the  pace  that  was 
set  for  ^'Buffalo  Bill,''  **Col.  Cody,"  "Bill  Cody,"  **Mr.  Cody," 
et  al.  id  omne  genus — ^whatever  that  is. 

TOO  MUCH  LEO 

I  was  invited  in  one  or  the  other  of  these  characters,  continuously 
and  numerously,  to  breakfasts,  luncheons,  dinners,  suppers,  garden 
parties,  athletic  layouts,  midnight  doings,  soirees,  matinees,  dedica- 
tions and,  in  short,  was  overwhelmed  with  social  attentions. 

Of  course,  all  this  was  pleasant  to  me  as  one  who  loves  to  live,  but 
I  had  business  to  attend  to  also,  and  very  strenuous  business,  for  the 
Wild  West,  and  I  did  my  best  to  meet  the  demand.  Then  I  was  made 
an  honorary  member  of  nearly  all  the  clubs,  social,  festive,  artistic, 
fashionable,  and  many  of  them  were  distinctly  distinguishing.    No- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  327 

tably  the  Reform  Club,  where  I  met  the  Prince  of  Wales,  the  Duke  of 
Cambridge  and  other  royalty.  Then  there  was  luncheon  at  the  Man- 
sion House  with  the  Lord  Mayor  and  Lady  Mayoress;  dinner  at  the 
Beaufort  Club,  where  that  fine  sportsman,  the  Duke  of  Beaufort,  was 
host ;  a  memorable  evening  at  the  Savage  Club  with  Mr.  Wilson  Bar- 
rett— just  home  from  an  American  tour — presiding,  with  such  choice 
spirits  present  as  Henry  Irving,  John  L.  Toole  and  a  host  of  others 
of  the  art,  literary  and  histrionic  element  of  London  and  the  world. 
The  Duke  of  Teck  entertained  me  at  United  Arts  Club,  Lord  Bruce 
and  other  lords  at  the  St.  George's  Club.  The  list  of  all  these  as 
shown  by  my  diary  would  be  exhaustive  of  the  peerage  book  and  the 
blue  books  and  would  also  exhaust  the  reader,  as  it  came  near  exhaust- 
ing ** Buffalo  Bill,"  *'Col.  Cody,"  etc.  And  yet  the  rounds  were 
delightful  and  I  appreciated  the  honors  done  me  and  my  beloved 
country.  Through  these  I  met  frequently  such  charming  and  distin- 
guished persons  as  Chas.  Wyndham  of  the  Criterion,  Mr,  Lawson  of 
the  Daily  Telegraph,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oscar  Wilde,  Madame  Minnie 
Hauk,  Mrs.  Navarro,  who  was  our  own  Mary  Anderson ;  Miss  Emma 
Nevada,  Mrs.  Brown-Potter,  and  hundreds  of  the  kindred  kind.  One 
of  the  most  delightful  affairs  was  a  visit  to  Mr.  Henry  Labouchere  on 
the  occasion  of  a  glorious  garden  production  by  the  Laboucheres  of 
'  *  A  Midsummer  Night 's  Dream. ' ' 

These  are  decimatingly  few  of  the  many  social  courtesies  extended 
me,  and  I  must  say  that  considering  the  exacting  demands  upon  me 
by  the  preliminary  arrangements  for  so  large  an  exhibition  as  we 
were  preparing  to  give  with  the  Wild  West,  and  polite  attention  to 
the  social  demands,  it  has  since  been  a  wonder  to  me  how  we  succeeded 
in  giving  such  a  great  and  acceptable  a  performance  on  the  opening 
day,  and  thereafter,  for  the  show  went  on  for  months  and  the  social 
amenities  kept  gait  and  pace.  To  make  the  situating  more  exacting, 
as  to  my  personal  work,  the  hundred  or  more  Indians  with  us  from 
the  Pine  Ridge  Agency  were  all  new  to  the  show  and  were  of  the  wild 
variety;  besides,  we  had  a  hundred  new  ponies  from  the  plains  of 
Texas  that  had  never  been  bridled  or  saddled,  much  less  shot  over, 
and  all  these  had  to  be  brought  into  at  least  Wild  West  discipline, 
and  largely  under  my  personal  supervision. 


328  STORY  OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

THE  PRINCE  AND  PRINCESS   OF   WALES 

A  communication  from  Marlborough  House  of  April  26,  1887, 
resulted  in  an  arrangement  for  a  special  performance  for  their  Royal 
Highnesses  the  Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales,  although  everything 
about  the  Wild  West  buildings  was  incomplete,  the  track  unfinished 
and  held  back  by  rainy  weather  and  the  hauling  of  huge  timbers, 
all  combining  to  make  the  condition  of  the  grounds  unspeakably  bad. 
But  for  all  this,  I  determined  to  pull  through,  as  the  Wild  West 
always  suited  me  the  better  the  more  raw  and  wild  that  it  was. 

I  retired  the  night  previous  to  the  visit,  aching  to  the  core  with 
care  and  fatigue,  but  with  the  hunter's  pleasant  anticipations  after 
striking  a  country  where  water  is  plenty  and  grazing  good,  two  cir- 
cumstances that  always  bring  the  frontiersman  renewed  confidence 
and  mental  as  well  as  bodily  repose. 

The  entertainment  to  the  future  King  of  Great  Britain  and  Em- 
peror of  India,  with  his  royal  party,  was,  of  course,  to  be  an  exclusive 
one  and  I  got  the  royal  box  rigged  as  handsomely  as  circumstances 
would  permit  and  the  taste  of  chosen  artists  could  devise.  The  Eng- 
lish and  American  flags  were  very  prevalent  in  the  decorations,  and 
it  was  my  further  object,  beside  entertaining  the  Princelings,  to  make 
the  occasion  a  grand,  additional  dress  rehearsal. 

The  party  that  was  conducted  into  our  precincts  was  a  strong  one 
numerically  as  well  as  in  point  of  exalted  rank.  The  Prince  and 
Princess  of  Wales  with  their  three  daughters,  the  Princesses  Louise, 
Victoria,  and  Maude,  led  the  way.  They  were  followed  by  the  Mar- 
quis of  Lome  and  Princess  Louise,  his  wife,  the  Duke  of  Cambridge, 
H.  S.  H.  Teck  and  son,  the  Comptesse  de  Paris,  the  Crown  Prince  of 
Denmark,  with  numerous  lords  and  ladies  in  waiting.  The  Prince  of 
Wales  introduced  me  to  his  wife,  afterward  Alexandra,  Queen-Con- 
sort, and  introductions  to  the  other  royal  personages  followed,  in 
which  Nate  Salsbury  and  Major  John  Burke  were  included. 

His  Royal  Highness  Edward,  Prince  of  Wales,  was  then  a  man 
under  medium  height,  somewhat  inclined  to  corpulency,  mixed  with 
the  indescribable  manner  that  hedges  royalty  from  constant  associa- 
tion with  state  ceremonials  and  the  teachings  of  the  ** divine  right'' 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  329 

of  kings ;  there  was  in  the  being  of  this  man  the  simple,  plain-spoken 
kindliness  of  a  well-bred  gentleman.  He  accepted  the  evident  homage 
that  surrounded  him  as  a  matter  of  course,  but  did  not  act  as  though 
he  would  exact  it. 

Many  times  subsequently  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting,  and  I 
found  less  of  the  airs  of  office  about  him  than  I  have  many  times  seen 
displayed  by  third-rate  civic  officials,  even  in  our  own  dearly  beloved 
and  highly-spoken-of  democratic  republic.  But  the  republic  is  not 
to  blame  for  that,  and  true  Americans  rarely  show  it.  The  Princess 
of  Wales  was  a  quiet,  self-possessed  and  gentle  lady  much  given  to 
innocent  merriment  and  still  speaking  English,  with  a  slightly-clipped 
foreign  accent. 

All  my  apprehensions  of  a  mishap  because  of  the  unfinished  condi- 
tion of  things  about  the  establishment  were  dispelled  from  the 
moment  the  signal  was  given  by  *' command"  of  the  Prince,  and  the 
Indians,  yelling  like  fiends,  galloped  out  from  their  ambuscades  and 
swept  around  the  enclosure  like  a  whirlwind. 

The  effect  was  instantaneous  and  otherwise  electric.  The  Prince 
rose  from  his  seat  and  leaned  eagerly  over  the  front  of  the  box 
and  the  entire  party  seemed  thrilled  effectually  by  the  spectacle. 
* '  Cody, ' '  I  said  to  myself, ' '  You  've  fetched  'em. ' '  From  that  moment 
we  were  in  all  right — right  from  the  word  *  *  Go ! " 

Every  day  in  our  aggregation  was  in  capital  form  and  the  whole 
thing  went  off  grandly. 

Our  lady  shot  experts,  on  being  presented  at  the  finish,  committed 
the  little  solacism  of  offering  to  shake  hands  with  the  Princess,  for, 
be  it  known,  feminine  royalty  offers  the  hand  back  uppermost  which 
the  person  presented  is  expected  to  lift  with  finger  tips  and  salute 
with  the  lips.  However,  the  Princess  was  quick  to  perceive  and  she 
solved  the  situation  by  taking  the  proffered  hands,  somewhat  shaded 
with  gunpowder,  and  shaking  them  heartily. 

The  royal  party  inspected  the  Indian  encampment  after  the  per- 
formance and  the  Prince  had  an  extended  conversation  with  Red 
Shirt — extended  for  an  Indian.  The  Princess,  through  the  inter- 
preter, gave  the  chief  welcome  to  England  to  which  the  chief,  with 


330  STORY  OF  THE  WILD  WEST. 

great  dignity,  responded:  "Tell  the  Great  White  Chief's  wife  that  it 
gladdens  my  heart  to  hear  her  words. ' ' 

The  ladies  of  the  suite  patted  John  Nelson's  half-breed  pappoose 
and  when  all  visited  my  headquarters  the  Prince  showed  much  inter- 
est in  the  trappings  and  decorations  there,  and  especially  in  the 
gold-mounted  sword  presented  to  me  by  generals  of  the  United 
States  Army  with  whom  I  had  served  in  the  boisterous  years  gone 
and  never  to  return. 

The  prince,  who  was  an  earnest  sportsman  and  a  bold  rider  to 
hounds  with  the  ' '  men  folks, ' '  visited  our  stables,  where  were  quar- 
tered more  than  200  bronchos  and  other  equine  help.  He  was  pleased, 
and  I  never  felt  prouder  of  the  military  methods  that  pervaded  this 
department  of  our  aggregation.  He  quite  won  my  heart  by  demand- 
ing the  full  and  particular  history  of  my  old  war  horse  Charlie,  who, 
now  in  his  twenty-first  year,  had  carried  me  through  many  dangers 
many  times  and  once  bore  me  in  a  flight  of  100  miles  in  nine  hours, 
forty  minutes,  when  chased  by  a  band  of  hostile  Indians.  Old 
Charlie  seemed  to  like  the  attentions  of  royalty  but  he  was  very 
democratic  just  the  same. 

At  7  that  evening  the  royal  visit  ended.  It  had  been  an  eminent 
success,  and  the  gratification  of  Major  Burke — our  major  domo,  so 
to  speak — Nate  Salsbury,  my  business  partner,  and  myself  over  the 
outcome  of  the  day  presaging  a  season  of  unqualified  success. 

That  the  Wild  West  made  a  big  impression  in  London  could  not 
have  been  more  emphatically  proven  than  it  was  by  the  fact  that  even 
Queen  Victoria  became  interested  and  to  us  came  the  *' command" 
for  a  special  performance  for  Her  Majesty  and  suite. 

Of  course.  Royalty  does  not  request,  desire  or  invite  persons  in  its 
realm  to  do  this  or  that,  but  ''commands"  it  to  be  done.  Thus,  "By 
command  of  Her  Majesty  the  Queen,"  a  special  performance  was 
given  by  the  Wild  West  in  order  that  this  Queen  of  Great  Britain 
and  Empress  of  India  should  have  a  private  view  of  the  exhibition. 

Since  the  death  of  Prince  Albert,  her  husband,  which  event  had 
occurred  thirty  years  previous  to  this  "command,"  the  queen  had 
been  more  than  ordinarily  seclusive.  She  seldom  appeared  before 
great  assemblages  of  her  subjects  and  her  visits  to  even  her  parlia- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   BUFFALO   BILL.  331 

ment  were  rare.  To  theatrical  performances  she  never  went  during 
that  long  period  of  her  mourning.  Her  latest  knowledge  of  the  great- 
est actors  and  actresses  of  the  time  was  gained  by  private  perform- 
ances given,  by  command,  in  her  court,  and  these  were  infrequent. 

The  Wild  West  was  altogether  too  big  a  thing  to  take  to  Windsor 
Castle,  and  as  in  the  case  of  Mahomet  and  the  mountain,  as  the  Wild 
West  could  not  go  to  the  Queen  it  became  absolutely  necessary  for 
the  Queen  to  go  to  the  Wild  West,  if  she  desired  to  see  it,  and  it  was 
evident  that  she  did. 

Of  course,  the  entire  outfit,  Mr.  Salsbury,  Major  Burke  and  myself 
included,  felt  highly  complimented  by  this  unusual  and  remarkable 
departure.  The  great  London  public  was  astonished,  almost  to  the 
extent  of  unbelief,  the  first  impression  being  that  the  entire  announce- 
ment was  simply  a  Yankee  hoax. 

Her  Majesty  was  to  arrive  at  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  and  I 
was  informed  that  she  expected  to  give  one  hour  to  seeing  all  that 
the  Wild  West  could  supply  in  the  matter  of  its  performances,  withiii 
that  space  of  time,  and  she  expected  the  whole  thing.  This  was  a 
poser,  but  we  determined  to  do  the  best  we  could. 

A  dais  was  erected  and  a  special  box  constructed  that  was  draped 
in  crimson  velvet  and  otherwise  extravagantly  decorated  to  give 
exclusion  therein  to  her  Majesty  and  the  exalted  notables  of  her  train. 
These  preparations  for  the  August  visit  being  completed,  our  vast 
company  awaited  with  feelings  akin  to  awe  for  the  royal  arrival. 

With  the  punctuality  that  is  conventional  with  royalty,  this  great 
sovereign  and  suite  came  upon  the  tick  of  time  and  their  car- 
riages entered  the  arena  and  were  driven  around  to  the  entrance 
of  the  box  that  had  been  prepared. 

With  her  Majesty  came  their  Royal  Highnesses,  the  Prince  and 
Princess  Henry  of  Battenberg,  the  Marquis  of  Lome,  the  Dowager 
Duchess  of  Athole,  the  Hon.  Ethel  Cadogan,  Sir  Henry  and  Lady 
Ponsonby,  General  Lynedoch  Gardiner,  Colonel  Sir  Henry  Evart, 
Lord  Ronald  Gowen,  and  a  collection  of  brilliantly  uniformed  mili- 
tary attendants  and  exquisitely  gowned  ladies,  forming  a  veritable 
portiere  of  living  flowers  about  the  temporary  throne. 

Then  another  very  remarkable  incident  occurred.     Our  entire 


332  STORY  OF   THE  WILD   WEST. 

company  of  performers  having  been  introduced  in  the  usual  manner 
and  the  American  flag  sent  around  the  arena  at  the  hands  of  a 
graceful  and  well-mounted  horseman  ,the  statement  preceded  it  that 
this  was  an  *  'emblem  of  peace  and  friendship  to  all  the  world. ' '  As 
the  standard  bearer  passed  the  royal  box  with  ''Old  Glory"  her 
Majesty  arose,  bowed  deeply  and  impressively  to  the  banner,  and  the 
entire  court  party  came  up  standing,  the  noblemen  uncovered,  the 
ladies  bowed  and  the  soldiers,  generals  and  all,  saluted. 

The  incident  thrilled,  unspeakably,  every  American  present,  and 
with  the  impulse  of  the  West  our  company  gave  a  shout  such  as  had 
never  before  been  heard  in  Britain.  Under  ordinary  circumstances, 
that  yell  would  have  seemed  uncouth;  but  this  was  a  great  event, 
all  saw  it  as  such,  hence  the  shout  blended  harmoniously  with  the 
situation. 

For  the  first  time  in  history  a  British  sovereign  had  saluted  the 
Star-Spangled  Banner,  and  that  banner  was  carried  by  a  delegated 
and  exalted  attache  of  Buffalo  Bill 's  Wild  West. 

The  presence  of  the  Queen  gave  mighty  stimulus  to  our  people  and 
the  performance  was  admirably  given.  Every  member  of  the  com- 
pany seemed  determined  to  excel.  The  young  women  did  unusually 
successful  shooting  at  their  targets;  my  own  shooting  was  the  best 
of  its  kind  that  I  ever  did ;  the  fight  of  the  cowboys  and  Indians  had 
greater  vim,  even  the  bucking  bronchos  seemed  to  be  under  the 
influence  of  the  contagious  enthusiasm  and  there  never  had  been  a 
more  excellent  performance  in  the  Wild  West  Exhibition  from 
beginning  to  end  and  in  every  specialty.  Moreover,  •  her  Majesty 
instead  of  staying  only  an  hour,  decided  to  "sit  out"  the  perform- 
ance and  then  she  sent  the  "command"  that  Buffalo  Bill  should  be 
presented  to  her.  The  compliments,  deliberate  and  unmeasured,  that 
she  gave  me,  that  modesty  mentioned  in  the  opening  of  this  story 
forbids  me  to  repeat. 

She  was  a  kindly  little  lady,  not  five  feet  high,  but  a  gracious 
queen  for  every  inch.  I  presented  Miss  Lillian  Smith,  who  was 
herself  a  qiieen — with  a  Winchester  rifle — and  the  young  lady,  with 
the  naivete  of  the  western  American  girl  that  she  was,  talked  with 
royalty,  on  the  solid  footing  of  American  sovereignty,  showed  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  BUFFALO   BILL.  333. 

mechanism  of  the  gun  with  enthusiasm,  and  Queen  Victoria,  deeply 
interested,  evinced  that  interest. 

Then  I  presented  Red  Shirt,  the  Indian  Chieftain,  who  was  gor- 
geous in  war  paint  and  feather  trappings.  His  proud  bearing  was 
fetching  among  the  royal  party,  and  when  he  spoke  through  an 
interpreter,  saying  he  had  come  a  long  way  to  see  her  Majesty  and 
**felt  glad,"  the  Queen  smiled  appreciatively,  and  as  the  red  man, 
unconventionally,  but  proudly,  strolled  away  with  the  dignity  of  a 
Supreme  Court  Judge,  she  seemed  to  say,  *'I  know  a  real  prince 
when  I  see  him. " 

Then  came  two  Indian  women  with  their  brown  pappooses  strapped 
to  the  shoulders  of  their  mothers.  The  red  babies  were  passed  up 
and  royalty  and  retinue  petted  and  patted  them  and  the  kids  acted 
as  though  they  were  used  to  that  sort  of  thing. 

Then  the  Queen  and  her  suite  ended  their  visit  and  the  remarkable 
episode  in  the  life  of  a  plain  plainsman,  who  in  boyhood  had  never 
dreamed  of  meeting  royalty  on  such  a  footing,  and  who  would  have 
felt  that  would  have  been  a  big  thing  to  meet,  in  a  friendly  way,  the 
mayor  of  Leavenworth. 

But,  besides  royalty,  there  came  to  the  Wild  West,  and  my  own 
tent  on  the  encampment,  great  men  in  statesmanship,  art,  poetry, 
war  and  wealth,  and  they  became  my  friends  for  life. 

Shortly  after  this  incident  of  the  Queen's  visit,  came  another 
affair  that  was  to  be  the  third  to  royalty  of  the  Wild  West  exhibi- 
tions. A  royal  equerry  came  to  Earl's  Court  bringing  a  further 
''command"  from  her  Majesty.  It  expressed  the  demand  that  on 
the  20th  of  June  a  special  exhibition  by  the  Wild  West  should  be 
given  in  the  morning  to  the  kingly  and  princely  guests  of  Queen 
Victoria,  on  the  occasion  of  her  Jubilee. 

Never  before,  since  the  world  commenced,  has  such  a  gathering 
honored  a  public  entertainment.  Caesar  and  his  captive  monarchs, 
the  Field  of  the  Cloth  of  Gold,  nothing  in  history  can  compare  with 
that  assemblage  of  the  mighty  ones  of  earth  that  honored  the  Wild 
West  upon  this  occasion. 

The  gathering  of  personages  comprised  the  King  of  Denmark,  the 
King  and  Queen  of  Belgium,  the  King  of  Saxony,  the  King  of 


334  STORY  OF  THE  WILD  WEST. 

Greece,  the  Crown  Prince  of  Austria,  the  Prince  and  Princess  of 
Saxe-Meiningen,  the  Crown  Prince  and  Princess  of  Germany,  the 
Crown  Prince  of  Sweden  and  Norway,  the  Princess  Victoria  of 
Prussia,  the  Duke  of  Sparta,  the  Grand  Duke  Michael  of  Russia, 
Prince  George  of  Greece,  Prince  Louis  of  Baden,  and  the  Prince  and 
Princess  of  Wales  with  their  children  and  a  host  of  lords  and  ladies 
unnumbered. 

Our  good  old  Deadwood  Coach,  ''baptized  in  fire  and  blood"  so 
repeatedly  on  the  plains,  had  the  inanimate  honor  of  carrying  on  its 
time-honored  springs,  four  kings  and  the  Prince  of  Wales,  that  day, 
during  the  played  attack  of  the  Indians.  The  Prince  said  to  me : 
''Colonel,  you  never  held  four  kings  like  these,  did  you?" 

**IVe  held  four  Kings,"  I  replied,  "but  four  Kings  and  the 
Prince  of  Wales  make  a  royal  flush,  and  that  is  unprecedented.'  * 

The  Prince  took  it,  for  I  had  taught  him  the  great  American  game 
of  draw-poker,  and  he  let  off  that  hair-trigger  laugh  of  his  that  has 
been  so  well  known  to  his  intimates. 

Of  course,  the  joke  was  somewhat  obscure  to  the  other  four-fifths 
of  the  "hand,"  and  I  almost  pitied  Wales  when  he  tried  to  explain, 
in  three  languages,  the  intricacies  of  the  joke.  Still  I  could  not 
blame  them,  for  experience  has  taught  me  that  the  game  really  needs 
a  lot  of  learning  before  one  can  understand  it  properly. 

The  crowned  heads  seemed  to  be  quite  satisfied  when  that  ride  was 
over  with,  for  the  Indians  did  their  shooting  with  aboriginal  energy. 

After  our  London  engagement  closed,  which  was  one  of  the  pleas- 
antest  periods  of  my  life,  we  made  a  tour  of  the  ' '  provinces. ' '  There 
were  Birmingham,  Manchester  and  other  English  cities  and  for  the 
period  of  preparation  for  these  I  took  advantage  of  the  spare  time 
left  to  me  by  the  hiatus  to  visit  Italy  on  a  two  weeks '  vacation  with 
my  daughter  Arta.  It  was  a  well-earned  vacation  because  from  the 
day  of  our  opening  in  London  to  its  close,  I  had  not  missed  one  of 
the  three  hundred  performances  given  during  that  engagement,  not- 
withstanding the  multiplicity  of  social  affairs  that  by  courtesy  I 
was  forced  to  observe  and  which  professionally  and  socially  kept  me 
occupied  eighteen  hours  out  of  every  twenty-four. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  BUFFALO  BILL.  335 

A  MAGNIFICENT  OVATION 

On  Monday  evening,  May  1st,  we  gave  the  last  indoor  representa- 
tion, in  the  presence  of  a  vast  and  one  of  the  most  enthusiastic  audi- 
ences I  ever  appeared  before;  bouquets  were  presented  to  various 
members  of  the  company  and  when  I  appeared  I  met  with  one  of 
the  warmest  receptions  of  my  life:  bouquets  were  thrown,  handed 
and  carried  into  the  arena  to  me  while  the  vast  audience  cheered, 
waved  hats,  umbrellas  and  handkerchiefs,  jumped  upon  their  feet, 
and  in  fact  the  scene  was  very  suggestive  of  a  pandemonium.  It  was 
fully  five  minutes  before  the  noise  subsided  sufficiently  to  enable  us 
to  proceed  with  the  performance. 

Every  act  went  with  a  rush  and  a  cheer,  and  was  received  by 
cries  of  ** bravo,"  **well  done,'*  etc.  At  the  close  of  the  exhibition 
calls  were  made  for  Red  Shirt  and  myself,  in  response  to  which  I 
thanked  my  patrons  and  assured  them  that  the  recollection  of  that 
evening's  display  of  kindness  would  ever  be  fresh  in  my  memory. 
Cries  of  ** bravo,  Bill,"  and  the  singing  of  **For  he's  a  jolly  good 
fellow"  by  the  entire  audience  brought  the  demonstration  to  a  close. 

On  Tuesday  afternoon  I  was  given  a  benefit  by  the  race-course 
people,  on  which  occasion  I  concluded  to  give  our  outdoor  perform- 
ance on  the  race-course  and  despite  the  unfavorable  weather  the 
turn-stiles  showed  that  nearly  50,000  people  had  paid  admission  to 
the  grounds.  This  audience,  like  the  one  in  the  building  the  previous 
evening,  was  also  very  enthusiastic  and  the  people  seemed  to  vie 
with  each  other  in  showering  applause  upon  the  various  acts  and 
features.  .  ^  -^^ 

A  RACE  FOR  $2,500. 

Our  Wild  West  performances  in  Manchester  were  now  at  a  close, 
but  having  two  or  three  days  to  spare  I  concluded  to  accept  a  chal- 
lenge made  some  days  previously  by  Mr.  B.  Goodall,  a  noted  horse 
breeder  of  Altrincham,  for  an  international  ten-mile  race  between 
his  English  thoroughbreds  and  my  American  bronchos,  for  £500  a 
side.  The  riders  were  J.  Latham  for  Goodall  and  Tony  Esquivel 
for  me,  and  the  conditions  were  that  each  rider  should  change  horses 
without  assistance  at  the  completion  of  each  half  mile.  The  afternoon 
was  fine  with  the  exception  of  one  fierce  though  fleeting  rain  storm, 


336  STORY  OF  THE  WILD  WEST. 

At  five  minutes  to  three  o'clock  thirteen  of  our  bronchos,  saddled 
with  heavy  cow-boy  saddles,  were  brought  into  the  enclosure  and 
about  ten  minutes  later  nine  English  thoroughbreds  made  their 
appearance.  The  men  mounted  their  first  horses  at  3 :20  and  got 
away  well,  Latham  at  once  taking  the  lead.  The  Englishman  effected 
his  first  change  with  an  advantage,  but  on  the  next  occasion  he  lost 
this  and  Tony  went  to  the  front.  Latham,  however,  gained  a  little 
for  some  succeeding  minutes.  There  was  no  question  of  the  speed 
of  his  horses,  but  Tony  was  more  adroit  in  changing,  and  before 
many  laps  were  over  he  led  the  Englishman  by  a  good  two  furlongs. 
Then  for  a  time  Tony  lost  ground,  but  Lathem  never  succeeded  in 
overhauling  him  and  he  passed  the  post  300  yards  ahead,  having 
made  the  remarkable  time  of  twenty-one  minutes.  Wild  enthusiasm 
was  manifested  throughout  the  race  by  the  20,000  spectators  and  at 
the  termination  of  their  arduous  task  both  victorious  Tony  and 
defeated  Latham  were  loudly  cheered. 

AN  ENTHUSIASTIC  FAREWELL. 

On  Friday  morning.  May  4th,  at  11  a.  m.,  amid  the  cheers,  well 
wishes  and  hand  shaking  of  the  vast  crowd  who  had  gathered  to  see 
us  depart,  we  pulled  slowly  out  of  the  Windsor  Bridge  station  of  the 
Lancashire  and  Yorkshire  Railway  en  route  by  special  passenger 
train  for  Hull,  where  after  giving  our  farewell  English  performance 
we  were  to  embark  for  home.  The  time  of  the  arrival  of  our  train 
at  the  various  stations  had  become  generally  known,  and  all  along 
the  entire  route  we  were  met  by  vast  crowds  who  cheered  and  wished 
us  God  speed.  Upon  our  arrival  at  Hull  the  crowd  was  so  large  that 
it  was  necessary  to  send  for  a  squad  of  police  to  enable  us  to  make 
our  way  through  them  from  the  station  to  the  conveyances.  On 
Saturday  afternoon.  May  5th,  we  gave  our  farewell  performance  in 
England,  at  Hull,  before  an  enormous  crowd  and  that  evening  at 
9  o'clock  our  entire  effects  were  aboard  the  good  ship  Persian  Mon- 
arch which,  under  the  command  of  the  brave,  gallant  and  courteous 
Captain  Bristow,  was  to  leave  her  moorings  at  3  a.  m.  the  next  morn- 
ing for  New  York.  We  had  chartered  the  ship  for  this  trip  and  had 
everything  to  ourselves,  and  all  evening  the  vast  crowds  who  lined 


(a)  View  of  people  waiting  in  line  on  Colfax  Avenue  to 
view  remains.  This  line  was  over  two  -and  a  half  blocks  long' 
from  9:30  a.  m.  to  12:45  p.  m.,  and  when  the  doors  were  closed 
over  12,000  people  had  failed  to  gain  admittance. 

(h)  Line  of  people  passing  into  Capitol  Building  to  view 
the  remains  of  Colonel  Cody.  Eighteen  thousand  persons  only 
could  gain  admittance.  United  States  Senators,  Governors  and 
legislators,  business  and  professional  men,  women  and  children 
from  every  station  mingled  in  their  payment  of  homage. 


(a)  Funeral  proceSsion  ready  for  start  from  the  Lincoln 
Street  entrance  of  the  Capitol  building  to  the  Elks'  Club.  (Sol- 
diers' Monument  in  the  foreground.) 

(ft)  Colonel  Cody's  remains  being  carried  on  a  caisson  from 
the  State  Capitol  (where  body  was  viewed  by  public)  to  the 
Denver  Elks'  Club,  where  funeral  ceremonies  were  held. 


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(a)  Colonel  Cody's  remains  resting  in  Elks'  Club,  Denver, 
under  guard  of  soldiers  and  amid  a  bower  of  floral  tributes  sent 
by  loving  friends  from  far  and  near. 

(ft)  Colonel  Cody's  remains  lying  in  state  surrounded  by  the 
pallbearers,  accompanied  by  Johnny  Baker  (with  hat  off),  pro- 
tege of  Buffalo  Bill. 


THE  END  OF  THE  TRAIL.  337 

the  docks  cheered,  sang  songs  and  wished  us  bon  voyage.  A  great 
many  even  remained  until  our  departure  and  went  wild  with  excite- 
ment when  they  saw  us  as  a  company  leave  their  shores  perhaps 
forever. 

A  PATHETIC  INCIDENT  AT  SEA. 

The  homeward  voyage  was  marked  with  one  very  distressing  and 
pathetic  incident  to  me  in  the  loss  of  my  favorite  horse  Charlie,  that 
I  had  ridden  for  fifteen  years  in  sunshine  and  in  storm,  in  days  of 
adversity  as  well  as  of  prosperity,  and  to  whose  fleetness  of  foot  I 
owed  my  life  on  more  than  one  occasion  when  pursued  by  Indians. 
He  stood  the  voyage  very  well,  apparently,  until  May  14th,  and  even 
on  the  morning  of  that  day  when  I  visited  him  he  seemed  to  be  as 
well  as  usual. 

A  few  minutes  after  leaving  him,  however,  a  groom  ran  to  me 
and  told  me  he  had  a  chill.  We  did  everything  we  could  for  him,  but 
it  was  useless.  He  had  lung  fever,  and  after  three  days'  illness  he 
died.  We  could  almost  understand  each  other,  and  I  felt  very  deeply. 
The  sailors  stitched  him  up  in  canvas  and  he  lay  all  day  Thursday, 
the  17th,  on  deck,  covered  with  the  American  flag.  At  8  o'clock  in 
the  evening  we  dropped  the  body,  properly  weighted,  into  the  ocean. 
I  did  think  of  bringing  him  on  here  and  burying  him  in  his  native 
soil,  but  finally  concluded  not  to  do  so. 

I  cannot  describe  my  joy  upon  stepping  again  on  the  shore  of 
beloved  America.  Though  I  had  received  such  honors  while  abroad 
as  few  persons  have  been  favored  with,  and  scored  a  triumph,  both 
socially  and  professionally,  that  may  well  excite  my  pride,  yet  *  'there 
is  no  place  like  home,"  nor  is  there  a  flag  like  the  old  flag. 

With  the  happiness  of  returning  to  my  own  country  again  came 
a  double  portion  of  joy  in  meeting  with  so  many  old  friends  whose 
arms  opened  to  welcome  me.  But  of  the  particular  pleasures  of 
these  glad  meetings  it  does  not  become  me  to  speak  now,  since  the 
space  at  my  disposal  is  already  exhausted ;  suffice  it  therefore  to  say, 
that  I  am  again  before  the  American  public  with  the  Wild  West 
Show  which  is  now  performing  for  the  season,  at  Erastina,  Staten 
Island,  where  we  scored  such  a  splendid  success  in  the  summer  of 
1886. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

THE  END  OP  THE  TRAIL. 
By  Col.  William  Lightpoot  Visschee 

After  Colonel  Cody  wrote  the  foregoing  narrative  he  seems  to  have 
"dropped  out  of  literature/'  His  business  interests  grew  greatly 
and  he  had  little  time  to  devote  to  anything  else,  though  the  excite 
ment  of  his  life  did  not  abate  in  matters  pertaining  to  the  Wild  West 
and  kindred  affairs  and  his  work  of  improving  his  beloved  frontier 
regions  was  redoubled. 

At  the  time  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  in  Chicago, 
Colonel  Cody  and  his  associates  established  adjoining  the  grounds 
of  the  fair  a  vast  coliseum  in  which  the  Wild  West  was  domiciled, 
and  here  for  many  months,  during  the  existence  of  the  Great  White 
City,  the  entertainments  of  the  Wild  West,  with  all  its  appurtenances 
enlarged  and  improved  amazingly,  were  given  twice  daily  during  the 
continuance  of  the  exposition.  Indeed,  the  Wild  West  was  little 
short  of  being  a  legitimate  part  of  this  the  most  comprehensive,  beau- 
tiful and  important  of  all  the  world  shows  that  have  ever  been  given, 
and  it  is  not  probable  that  it  ever  will  be  surpassed. 

The  Wild  West  visited  Europe  three  times :  first,  that  to  England 
in  1887,  details  of  which  have  been  given  in  Col.  Cody's  narrative. 
The  second  visit  was  in  1889,  to  be  an  attraction  at  the  Paris  Exposi- 
tion Universalle  of  that  year.  After  the  Paris  engagement  the  Wild 
West  was  taken  to  Spain,  Italy,  Austria-Hungary  and  Germany  and 
returned  to  America.  In  1902  the  exhibition  was  taken  to  England, 
thence  to  Scotland,  Wales,  France,  Italy,  Hungary,  Austria,  Galicia, 
Slavonia,  Bohemia,  Croatia,  Belgium,  Germany  and  Denmark,  for 
a  tour  of  four  years. 

Everywhere  it  was  received  with  wonder  and  acclaim  and  theu 
triumphantly  returned  to  America. 

338 


AUTOBIOGEAPHY   OF   BUFFALO  BILL.  339 

Upon  the  return  of  the  Wild  West  to  America,  Col.  Visscher 
apostrophized  the  great  pioneer,  scout,  showman,  and  patriot  in  the 
following  verses,  which,  to  some  extent,  epitomizes  the  career  of 
** Buffalo  Bill,'*  and  for  that  reason  are  incorporated  here.  The 
verses  are  as  follows : 

A  KNIGHT  OF  THE  WEST. 

To  Colonel  Wm.  F.  Cody  ("Buffalo  Bill")- 

By  Col.  William  Lightfoot  Visscher 

"Who  is  this  gallant  cavalier  that  rides  in  from  the  West? 

His  horse,  and  gun,  and  trappings  are  the  truest  and  the  bestj 

He  strides  his  noble  thorobred  with  manly,  easy  grace, 

And  sits  the  saddle  like  a  sheik,  and  rides  a  rattling  pace; 

His  hair  falls  white  and  long  adown  his  shoulders  strong  and  wide, 

And  all  his  bearing  has  the  poise  of  manliness  and  pride. 

A  sovereign  born  and  citizen  of  this  fair  western  land. 
He  rose  among  his  fellows  in  the  custom  of  command; 
His  boyhood  heard  the  wailing  that  was  echo  of  the  yell 
When  the  savage  made  the  border  seem  the  environs  of  hell; 
With  his  dying  father 's  spirit,  his  hunting-knife  and  gun. 
He  drove  the  bronze  barbarians  into  the  setting  sun. 

'Mong  the  willows  by  the  river,  on  mesa,  hill  and  plain. 
They  fell  beneath  his  horse's  hoofs  and  'fore  his  leaden  rain; 
Full  well  he  wreaked  his  vengeance,  and  he  blazed  a  western  path, 
With  the  weapons  of  his  prowess  and  the  scoring  of  his  wrath. 
From  Missouri's  murky  waters  to  the  white  Sierra's  crest, 
This  knightly  man  led  dauntless  men  and  empire  to  the  West. 

To  save  the  name  and  legends,  and  traditions  of  that  land — 
The  wilderness  that  blossomed — and  its  story  strange  and  grand, 
To  the  wondering  sight  of  millions,  and  to  sing  its  passing  song. 
He  led  toward  the  Orient  his  motley,  nomad  throng, 
With  their  singing  and  their  dancing,  their  weapons  and  their  ways. 
Their  riding  and  their  fighting  in  their  tribe  to  tribe 's  affrays. 

From  the  canyons  of  the  mountains   to  the  canyons  of  the  deep. 
And  to  where  the  western  nations  close  guard  and  jealous  keep. 
The  monuments  and  tokens  of  their  ancient  rule  and  state. 
There  the  gallant  western  chieftain  rode  among  the  titled  great, 
A  fellow  prince  among  the  kings,  a  sovereign  by  the  right 
Of  honest  manhood,  bred  beneath  high  Liberty's  clear  light. 


340  STOEY  OF  THE   WILD  WEST. 

Where  the  altars  of  the  Druids  and  ancient  abbeys  lie, 

'Neath  forest-covered  ruins,  marking  centuries  gone  by, 

And  in  places  that  are  cob-webbed  with  history  as  old 

As  Britain's  first  traditions,  lying  deep  in  must  and  mold, 

There  the  chieftain  and  his  riders  went,  and  held  their  hardy  games 

To  plaudits  of  the  multitude,  lords,  kings  and  royal  dames. 

By  the  Tiber,  'neath  the  shadow  of  St.  Peter's  lofty  dome, 
The  mighty  pile  that  canopies  the  hierarch  of  Eome; 
Mid  monuments  and  masonry,  that  crumbling  in  decay. 
Teach  the  vanity  of  empire — how  weak  and  fleet  its  sway — 
Here  rode  the  knightly  plainsman,  and  his  cabelleros  sang 
Where  oft,  in  centuries  agone,  acclaim  to  Caesars  rang. 

'Mong  potentates  and  powers,  in  the  cities  of  the  kings, 

From  where  Mahomet's  crescent  across  the  Orient  swings 

To  where  the  North  sea  booms  against  old  Denmark 's  rugged  shores. 

And  back  to  where  dear  homeland  opened  wide  to  him  her  doors, 

Went  and  came  the  dashing  horseman,  and  he  bore  the  banner  high 

That  Freedom's  heroes,  for  its  weal,  will  dare,  and  do,  and  die. 

When  by  this  mighty  inland  sea  the  vast  White  City  gleamed, 
As  radiant  as  mountain  snows,  the  chieftain's  banners  streamed 
Above  his  wide  encampment,  and  from  every  clime  and  land 
Came  men  to  do  him  honor  and  to  grasp  his  manly  hand. 
Even  yet  he  leads  his  riders,  and  his  lesson 's  high  and  strong, 
And  here,  saluting  him,  I  sing  this  heartfelt,  homely  song. 

Tonight,  long  since  these  simple  lines  were  writ. 

Before  his  pictured  face  I  sadly  sit, 

Mourning  that  his  great  heart  is  stilled 

And  that  the  mighty  soul  that  thrilled 

With  love  of  friends  and  country,  true  and  tried, 

Has  gone,  for  aye,  beyond  the  Great  Divide. 

When  Cody,  who  was  ''Buffalo  Bill"  for  more  than  fifty  years, 
was  such  a  little  fellow  that  he  was  called  Willie  by  everybody  who 
knew  him,  he  became  the  mainstay  of  his  widowed  mother's  family. 
His  father  had  been  killed  by  the  Indians  and  his  home  had  been 
burned  by  the  savages.    But  all  that  is  another  story. 

One  who  knows  cannot  start  out  to  tell  anything  about  Buffalo 
Bill's  life  without  being  tempted  to  go  off  at  a  tangent,  ten  times  a 
minute,  to  relate  other  stirring  tales,  and  true  ones,  in  that  man's 
strange  and  eventful  career,  the  incidents  chase  each  other  so  closely. 

But,  as  I  was  saying,  when  Will  Cody  was  a  little  fellow,  not  more 


THE  END   OF   THE   TRAIL.  341 

than  12  or  14  years  old — can  you  imagine  that  big,  tall,  white-haired 
man,  who  rides  a  horse  as  if  man  and  horse  were  one  animal,  and  who 
has  been  all  over  North  America  and  Europe  time  and  aagin,  intro- 
ducing to  more  than  a  hundred  rulers  and  their  people  a  congress 
of  the  Rough  Riders  of  the  world ;  can  you  imagine  such  a  man  as 
once  having  been  a  kid  himself  ?  Well,  he  was,  and  instead  of  playing 
at  "kill  Indians"  with  wooden  knives  and  toy  guns  he  had  to  do  the 
real  thing. 

GREAT    HELP   TO   HIS   MOTHER. 

Will  Cody  had  to  support  his  mother  and  sisters — or  at  least  help 
a  great  deal  in  that  direction — and  he  was  cheerfully  willing  to  do  it. 

In  those  days,  away  out  where  begins  what  the  schoolboys  of  the 
time  knew  as  the  * '  Great  American  Desert, ' '  but  which  is  now  a  land 
of  flourishing  cities,  towns,  villages,  farms,  homes,  gardens,  art,  lit- 
erature and  all  that  exalts  and  embellishes  civilized  life,  there  was  a 
trio  of  good  men,  partners,  who  had  great  caravans  crossing  and 
recrossing  the  desert,  opening  the  way  for  empire  in  the  western 
wilderness.  Sometimes  there  were  as  many  as  fifty  wagons  in  one  of 
those  trains,  though  generally  only  twenty-five,  and  there  would  be 
as  many  as  fifteen  or  twenty  of  these  trains  out  on  the  plains  at  one 
time,  often  hundreds  of  miles  apart,  coming  and  going  from  the  Mis- 
souri River  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  beyond. 

These  wagons  were  huge,  canvas-covered  affairs  that  were  almost 
as  big  as  the  ships  in  which  Columbus  first  crossed  the  ocean.  They 
were  drawn  by  many  spans  of  horses  or  yokes  of  oxen  to  each — often 
from  five  to  ten — and  a  small  army  of  men,  drivers  and  helpers, 
accompanied  each  train. 

This  trio  of  partners  had  the  firm  name  of  Russell,  Majors  & 
Waddell,  and  required  a  number  of  men  to  ride  as  messengers  be- 
tween the  trains.    The  boy,  Will  Cody,  secured  one  of  these  places. 

On  *'Cody  day"  at  the  trans-Mississippi  fair  in  Omaha  in  1900 
the  writer  sat  at  a  banquet  table  with  Colonel  Cody,  Colonel  Alexan- 
der Majors,  the  late  United  States  Senator  John  M.  Thurston,  Ed- 
ward Rosewater,  late  editor  of  the  Omaha  Bee;  Major  John  M. 
Burke,  the  governors  of  Nebraska,  Iowa  and  Missouri  and  other 


342  STORY   OF  THE   WILD  WEST. 

notables  of  the  region,  and  in  his  speech  at  the  table  Colonel  Majors 
told  this,  among  other  stories  of  Colonel  Cody,  the  guest  of  the 
occasion : 

''One  day,  away  back  in  the  late  '50s,"  said  Colonel  Majors,  *'in 
our  Kansas  camp,  came  to  me  a  handsome,  wiry  lad  who  said  that  he 
had  his  mother's  permission  to  take  a  place  with  us  as  a  messenger. 
He  seemed  to  think  that  his  mother's  permission  entirely  settled  the 
matter. 

* '  I  told  him  that  I  thought  he  was  rather  young  for  such  strenuous 
and  hazardous  work,  but  he  made  light  of  that,  and  there  was  about 
him  such  an  air  of  self-confidence,  in  that,  and  such  diffdence  and 
modesty,  in  other  ways,  that  he  captured  me  at  once  and  I  gave  him 
the  place,  which  was  one  of  peril,  requiring  caution,  coolness  and 
endurance.  His  duty  was  that  of  carrying  dispatches  between  our 
wagon  trains  upon  the  march  across  the  plains.  Little  did  I  think 
then  that  I  was  starting  out  in  life  one  who  was  destined  to  win  fame 
and  fortune  throughout  the  world. 

''When  'Little  Billy  Cody'  received  his  first  month's  pay,  which, 
I  think,  was  $40,  he  took  the  money,  some  gold,  mostly  silver,  to  his 
mother  and  spread  it  out  over  the  table,  gleefully  exclaiming: 
'  Lookee,  mother  ain  't  that  a  big  lot  of  money  ? '  " 

At  this  point  in  Colonel  Major's  remarks  some  one  at  the  table 
called  out: 

"Yes!  and  he's  been  spreading  it  ever  since." 

Continuing,  Colonel  Majors  said:  "The  firm  of  Russell,  Majors 
&  Waddell  required  all  of  its  employes  to  sign  a  pledge  not  to  indulge 
in  profanity,  intoxicating  drinks  and  brawling,  and  to  that  the 
majority  kept  well,  for  the  most  part.  This  was  especially  true  of 
young  Cody. 

"Then  it  was  simply  'Little  Billy  Cody,  the  Messenger,'  next  it 
became  'Wild  Bill,  the  Pony  Express  Rider,'  then  'Bill  Cody,  the 
Wagonmaster, '  then  'Buffalo  Bill,  the  Hunter,  Scout  and  Indian 
Fighter,'  now  Colonel  W.  F.  Cody,  the  head  of  a  mighty  school  of 
history  and  ethnology,  the  friend  and  associate  of  statesmen,  artists, 
men  of  letters,  kings,  presidents  and  all  manner  of  potentates  and 
people  of  importance ;  the  head  of  one  of  the  greatest  enterprises  for 


THE  END   OF   THE   TRAIT.  343 

the  reclamation  of  arid  lands ;  a  true  and  honest  man  and  a  valuable 
citizen. 

"With  the  inborn  gift  of  a  perfect  borderman,  Buffalo  Bill  led 
armies  across  deserts  and  over  mountains,  through  most  appalling 
dangers  and  to  the  farthest  retreats  of  savages  who  carried  on  cruel 
raids  against  those  who  were  endeavoring  to  settle  the  far  West  that 
to  this  republic  has  now  come  to  be  a  source  of  incalculable  wealth 
and  to  the  world  a  mighty  help. 

"This  man  never  sought  the  reputation  of  a  'killer,'  and  was 
careful  to  avoid  brawls,  yet  never  halted  in  the  discharge  of  duty, 
even  in  the  face  of  direst  danger.  He  fought  the  Indians  to  the 
redskin's  last  stand,  and  yet  was  his  friend  and  has  always  had  the 
best  respect  of  the  warring  tribes. 

LOVE  AND  DEVOTION  TO   HIS  MOTHER. 

* '  One  of  Buffalo  Bill 's  finest  characteristics  was  his  love  and  devo- 
tion to  his  mother,  a  mother  most  worthy  the  devotion  of  such  a  son. 
When  he  first  came  to  me  he  had  to  make  his  mark  when  signing  the 
pay  roll,  and  he  drew  a  man's  pay  because  he  earned  every  dollar 
of  it,  after  his  first  month.  One  pay  day,  his  mother  being  with  him, 
the  paymaster  told  him  to  come  up  and  make  his  mark  and  get  his 
money.  The  boy's  face  flushed  when  he  saw  tears  come  into  his 
mother's  eyes  and  heard  her  whisper,  'Oh,  Willie,  if  you  would  only 
learn  to  write,  how  happy  I  would  be. ' 

"A  boy's  opportunities  for  education  in  that  region  and  day  were 
meager  enough  at  best,  much  less  were  they  for  a  boy  in  Cody's  place, 
who  lived  his  days  in  the  saddle,  riding  hard  for  duty's  sake  and 
often  at  the  risk  of  his  life  from  the  bullet  or  arrow  of  the  lurking 
savage.  But  when  young  Cody  saw  the  tears  in  his  mother's  eyes, 
because  of  his  lack  of  letters,  he  set  at  work  immediately  to  acquire 
the  art  of  penmanship,  and  in  a  little  while  he  was  issuing  editions 
of  his  name,  in  different  styles,  almost  anywhere,  and  sometimes  it 
got  him  into  trouble.  *Will  Cody,'  'Little  BUly,'  'Billy  the  Boy 
Messenger'  and  'William  Frederic  Cody,'  were  written  with  the 
burnt  end  of  a  stick,  with  chalk  or  charcoal,  upon  tents,  wagon  covers 
and  all  tempting  and  available  spaces,  with  great  frequency  and 


344  STORY   OF  THJS  WILD  WEST. 

appalling  crudity,  at  first,  while  with  hunting  knife  he  carved  upon 
ox  yoke,  wagon  body,  bench,  door,  side  of  the  house,  wherever  he 
could  find  wood  enough,  the  name  with  which  he  has  since  made  his 
mark  on  a  page  of  history. ' ' 

*  *  I  'm  almost  the  only  one  left  now, ' '  he  would  say.  *  *  Almost  the 
only  one  left.  And  I  guess  I  haven 't  so  very  long  to  go. ' '  And  with 
the  death  of  Buffalo  Bill  there  dies  an  idol — an  idol  in  the  eyes  of 
every  boy  in  the  United  States,  and  almost  of  the  world.  For  Buffalo 
Bill's  fame  was  not  the  fame  of  the  United  States.  It  was  a  fame 
that  extended  to  Europe,  and  to  Africa,  and  to  Asia.  Boys  of  China 
have  thrilled  over  the  exploits  of  Buffalo  Bill,  even  though  they 
never  have  seen  him.  Boys  of  Spain  have  gazed  upon  the  buffalo 
killer;  boys  of  France  and  Germany  and  Hungary  and  England  and 
Scotland  have  done  likewise,  and  worshipped  his  prowess  almost  as 
much  as  the  boys  of  America  have  done.  The  news  of  Buffalo  Bill's 
death  will  not  be  confined  to  the  United  States.  It  will  travel  into 
the  fighting  trenches  of  Europe,  into  the  Orient,  and  into  Africa. 
For  the  fame  of  Pahaska  was  world-wide. 

PAHASKA   FRIEND   OF   THE   INDIANS. 

But  those  who  will  mourn  the  most  are  nearer  home — up  there  on 
the  stretches  of  South  Dakota 's  prairies  where  live  the  remainder  of 
the  valiant  Sioux,  the  Indians  whom  he  fought  and  whom  he  be- 
friended. Perhaps  you  have  thought  that  the  Indian  would  look 
upon  Buffalo  Bill  as  an  enemy,  as  the  man  who  had  fought  them  and 
driven  them  from  the  plains.  But  that  is  not  true.  Pahaska — ^they 
named  him  that  because  of  his  long  hair — ^was  their  friend,  and  they 
accepted  him  as  such.  I  have  seen  the  time  when  the  braves  of  the 
Ogallalah  and  Sioux  tribe  have  brought  their  papooses  a  hundred 
miles  and,  with  happiness  shining  in  their  eyes,  lifted  them  high  in 
the  air  that  the  great  Pahaska  might  pat  them  on  the  head  and  give 
them  his  blessing. 

*  *  He  never  fought  us  except  when  we  needed  it, ' '  old  Short  Bull, 
the  man  who  is  supposed  to  have  caused  the  Ghost  Dance  war,  told 
me  one  day,  **and  he  was  our  friend  even  when  he  fought  us.  He 
killed  us  because  we  were  bad  and  because  we  fought  against  what 


THE   EMD   OP   THE   TRAIL.  345 

he  knew  was  best  for  us.  And  when  there  was  peace,  he  was  our  best 
friend.  Did  he  not  talk  to  the  Great  White  Spirit  in  Washington 
and  help  us  ?  Did  he  not  get  food  for  us  when  we  were  starving  ? 
Did  he  not  give  us  money  from  his  own  hands  that  we  might  live  ? 
No,  Pahaska  has  not  been  our  enemy.    He  has  been  our  friend. ' ' 

Such  are  the  people  who  will  mourn  for  Pahaska  out  on  the  plains 
of  the  Dakotas.  And  there  will  be  another  class  also — ^the  class  that 
is  almost  numberless,  the  world  of  the  Small  Boy. 

For  Buffalo  Bill  was  a  man 's  man  and  yet  a  boy 's  man.  He  was 
all  that  was  desired  in  the  form  of  romantic  manhood.  His  stories 
were  the  stories  that  thrilled — the  yarn  of  his  duel  with  Yellowhand, 
when  the  renegade  challenged  him  before  thousands  of  Indians  and 
soldiers,  only  to  meet  death  at  Colonel  Cody's  hand.  Then,  too, 
there  were  the  stories  of  the  Battle  of  Warbonnet  and  of  Summit 
Springs.  There  were  the  stories  of  trails  and  of  plains — and  many 
a  time  I  have  seen  the  Colonel,  an  island  in  an  ocean  of  small  boys, 
telling  them  the  stories  of  the  past,  the  stories  of  days  when  the 
warhoop  echoed  and  the  tomahawk  was  something  more  than  a 
tradition. 

And  yet  another  world  will  honor  him — the  world  of  the  Army. 
For  there  Colonel  Cody  was  respected  and  honored  as  a  man  apart,  a 
man  who  occupied  a  niche  distinctive  in  life.  From.  Gen.  Nelson  A. 
Miles,  for  whom  he  acted  as  scout  in  the  early  days,  down  to  the 
veriest  rooky,  the  name  of  William  Frederick  Cody  was  a  charmed 
one.  And  they  recognized  in  him  that  being  which  linked  the  early 
days  of  army  history  in  the  West  to  the  records  of  today.  The  Army 
and  the  West  and  Cody — the  three  things  were  inseparable.  And 
with  the  news  of  the  death  of  William  Frederick  Cody  the  army  will 
sorrow  with  the  small  boy  and  the  Sioux  as  they  say : 

''Farewell  to  Pahaska!" 

Early  one  afternoon,  a  few  summers  ago,  the  writer  sat  with 
Colonel  Cody  under  the  awning  of  his  tent  with  the  Wild  West 
exhibition.  The  vast  affair  had  moved  during  the  small  hours  of 
that  morning  from  a  "stand"  on  the  West  Side  in  Chicago  to  one 
on  the  North  Side.  At  the  end  of  a  little  spell  of  silent  ruminating 
Colonel  Cody  looked  up  and  said : 


346  STORY   OP  THE   WILD  WEST. 

''By  Jinks !  I 'm  a  scout  all  right,  but  dog  my  cats  if  I  could  find 
the  way  back  to  where  we  came  from  last  night. ' ' 

On  the  same  occasion,  when  Colonel  Cody  was  absent  for  a  moment, 
his  little  orphan  grandson  came  in  and  told  his  foster  mother,  his 
Aunt  Irma,  that  grandpa  had  said  he  might  ride  on  the  Deadwood 
coach  in  the  arena,  if  he  would  hold  on  tight. 

' '  AVell,  we  will  see  grandpa  about  that, ' '  said  Aunt  Irma.  At  that 
moment  the  colonel  entered  and  his  daughter  inquiringly  said: 
' '  Willie  says  that  you  told  him  he  might  ride  on  the  Deadwood  stage 
if  he  would  hold  on  tight?" 

' ' I  said, ' '  replied  grandpa,  "that  if  he  rode  on  the  coach  he 'd  have 
to  hold  on  dog-gone  tight.' ' 

Soon  the  boy  was  away  somewhere  among  the  Indians,  Arabs, 
Cossacks  and  what-not,  and  Colonel  Cody,  calling  to  a  helper  about 
the  place,  said:  "Murphy,  put  little  Mister — er — What 's-his-name 
on  the  coach." 

Then  after  looking  down  for  a  moment  he  turned  with  his  peculiar 
far-away  smile  to  those  present  and  said : 

"Blame  my  skeets  if  I  hadn't  forgot  the  boy's  name,  and  he's 
named  after  me. ' ' 

This  exhibits  Colonel  Cody's  sulphurous  style  of  swearing,  and  it 
was  about  the  only  kind  of ' '  cussin ' '  that  he  did.  He  was  exceedingly 
fond  of  children  and  had  a  way  with  them  that  was  wonderfully 
winning.    Often  when  they  were  gathered  about  him  one  would  say : 

' '  Tell  me  a  story,  Buffalo  Bill ! " 

And  what  wonderful  stories  they  would  be !  What  tales  he  would 
weave  as  they  clustered  about  him,  back  in  his  little  tent  at  the  edge 
of  the  great ' '  exhibition  top, ' '  where  he  invariably  would  gather  his 
juvenile  audiences  in  the  afternoons !  What  thrilling  yarns  of  the 
plains  and  the  crested  buttes,  of  long  rides  through  the  snows  and 
sands,  of  hand  to  hand  encounters  with  the  Injuns — masterpieces 
they  were,  for  he  had  lived  them — and  one  by  one  he  would  recount 
them  until  the  shuddering  little  forms  of  his  excited  listeners  would 
gather  close  to  him  and  hug  his  big  booted  legs  for  protection,  yet 
Would  repeat  with  the  blood-curdling  finale  of  every  narrative : 

' '  Tell  us  another,  Buffalo  Bill ! ' ' 


THE  END   OP   THE   TRAIL.  347 

*'What,  another?"  Once  you  heard  that  great,  deep,  booming 
voice,  with  the  laughter  hidden  away  in  the  corners  of  it,  the  strong 
joy  of  it  never  faded  from  the  memory.  And  with  that  big  voice, 
which  thundered  in  spite  of  the  gentleness  it  carried,  he  would  ask 
the  question  in  apparent  surprise  as  he  reared  back  his  tremendous 
shoulders ;  then  with  tender  strength  he  would  gather  his  audience 
close  again  to  him  and  travel  on  to  the  depiction  of  new  thrills,  new 
exploits.  And  so  it  is  that  the  eyes  of  many  a  child  have  been  wet 
with  tears  since  the  news  flashed  forth  that  Buffalo  Bill  had  gone 
past  the  last  frontier,  that  many  a  *  *  Now  I  lay  me ' '  has  included  the 
supplicating  words  of  childhood : 

"And  God— bless  Buffalo  Bill." 

Will  Cody  was  the  handsomest  young  man  I  ever  saw.  He  was 
as  quiet  and  unassuming  a  lad  as  ever  cinched  a  pony.  There  was 
about  him  a  manner  of  reserve  that  nearly  approached  shyness  and 
he  would  have  been  almost  awkward  in  personality  had  it  not  been 
for  his  manliness  of  form  and  strength  of  physique  that  gave  him 
the  graces  of  nature.  This  has  been  true  of  him  all  his  life,  notwith- 
standing that  his  career  has  led  him  all  the  way  from  messenger 
boy  between  trains  of  ' '  prairie  schooners, "  in  the  early  days  on  the 
plains,  to  be  the  associate  of  kings,  dukes,  princes,  queens  and  duch- 
esses, governors,  presidents,  millionaires,  statesmen  and  men  of 
letters  and  art  for  three  generations, 

Buffalo  Bill  played  a  big  part  in  his  life,  served  his  country  as  a 
soldier,  blazed  the  western  way  and  taught  three  generations  great 
facts  in  history  and  ethnology  with  his  strong  object  lesson,  the 
Wild  West.  Withal  he  proudly  bore  "Old  Glory"  wherever  he 
went,  to  be  kissed  by  the  breezes  of  the  Old  World  and  the  New. 

Now  he  has  gone  and  is  mourned  by  unnumbered  thousands 
throughout  the  world.  He  left  on  the  trail  over  the  Great  Divide 
at  Denver,  Colorado,  January  10th,  1917.  Prominent  men  and 
women  from  many  states  and  civilized  nations  journeyed  to  Denver 
to  attend  his  funeral.  Cities  did  him  honor  and  legislatures  ad- 
journed for  the  obsequies.  In  very  many  ways  the  funeral  of 
Colonel  Cody  attested  greater  interest  on  the  part  of  the  world 
than  if  he  had  been  an  important  ruler. 


348  STORY   OF  THE   WILD   WEST. 

On  Sunday,  January  the  14th,  1917,  followed  by  a  vast  cortege 
of  citizens,  persons  and  societies,  the  mortal  remains  of  Colonel  Cody 
were  taken  in  Denver  to  the  Capitol  of  .Colorado.  The  casket  in 
which  the  body  was  borne  and  in  which  it  is  to  rest  is  of  solid  bronze 
and  constructed  in  the  most  superbly  and  appropriately  ornamental 
way.  From  the  residence  of  Colonel  Cody's  sister,  Mrs.  May  Cody 
Decker,  on  Lafayette  street,  the  procession  moved  at  9:30  in  the 
morning.  The  body  was  immediately  escorted  by  the  officers  of 
Denver  Lodge  No.  17,  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  the 
active  and. honorary  pall  bearers.  Upon  the  arrival  at  the  state 
house  four  members  of  the  B.  P.  0.  E.,  four  members  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  and  four  members  of  the  Colorado  National 
Guard,  took  their  places  about  the  casket  as  the  guard  of  honor. 

The  garrison  of  United  States  troops  stationed  at  Fort  Logan 
arrived  with  the  cortege  at  the  capitol  and  the  military  band  that 
came  with  the  soldiers  played  sacred  music  as  the  public  passed  by 
the  catalfaque  to  view  for  the  last  time  the  face  of  Buffalo  Bill.  The 
infantry  was  formed  in  two  lines  facing  each  other,  and  these  ex- 
tended from  Colfax  Avenue  on  Sherman,  through  the  capitol  build- 
ing to  the  East  Fourteenth  Avenue  entrance. 

OLD  AND  YOUNG,  RICH  AND  POOR,  PAID  THEIR  TRIBUTE  TO  MEMORY  OF 

BUFFALO  BILL. 

They  bade  good-by  to  Buffalo  Bill — thousands  and  thousands 
of  persons.  They  braved  the  cold  and  the  discomfort  of  stand- 
ing to  shuffle  past  his  bier  and  drop  a  flower  or  tear.  Men  of  high 
estate  and  low ;  women  gowned  in  fashion 's  latest  word  and  women 
who  came  from  humble  homes ;  boys  and  girls  by  the  hundreds  who 
wished  the  last  look  at  the  face  of  their  idol ;  statesmen  who  relin- 
quished the  cares  of  office  to  pay  homage  to  the  famous  old  frontiers- 
man. 

Ne/er  in  the  history  of  the  West  has  one  who  lay  dead  been 
accorded  so  great  a  demonstration  of  tribute. 

In  the  rotunda  of  the  capitol  Buffalo  Bill  lay,  a  silent  figure  deaf 
to  the  playing  of  the  band  in  the  gallery,  knowing  not  that  the 
thousands  were  surging  through  the  doors,  with  armed  soldiers 


THE   END   OF   THE   TRAIL.  349 

struggling  constantly  to  prevent  their  crushing,  seeking  to  stand 
for  a  moment  or  so  at  his  side.  It  would  have  warmed  the  heart  of 
the  old  scout.  His  great  black  eyes  would  have  flashed,  his  lips 
would  have  laughed,  he  would  have  given  frank  expression  of  joy 
that  so  many  had  come  to  see  and  honor  him.  He  would  have  liked 
to  grip  the  hands  of  those  old  scouts,  pards  of  his  in  the  early  days, 
who  murmured  their  good-bys  in  voices  that  broke.  He  would  have 
delighted  in  bowing  to  those  governors  and  state  officials  from 
Nebraska  and  Wyoming  and  Colorado — ^the  states  in  which  he 
wrote  with  daring  deeds  the  fame  that  was  international — ^who  in 
common  with  the  poorly  dressed,  the  handsomely  dressed,  the  poor 
and  the  rich,  the  humble  and  the  high,  stood  in  the  long  line  to  wait 
their  turn.  And  the  children — Buffalo  Bill  would  have  liked  to 
pat  their  heads,  tell  them  a  story,  put  his  strong  arms  about  them 
and  clasp  them  close. 

But  Buffalo  Bill  was  dead — ^his  horse  stood  without,  the  old  worn 
saddle,  with  its  gleaming  brass  pommel,  on  his  back,  the  bridle 
reins  sagging  loose.  The  animal  champed  its  bit  and  pawed  the 
earth  and  quick-stepped  for  the  throng  that  passed.  Perhaps  he 
waited  in  expectation  for  his  master  to  come,  to  leap  with  his  old- 
time  agility  to  his  back,  catch  up  the  reins  and,  rising  in  the  stirrups, 
sweep  off  his  broad-brimmed  hat  and — ** Salute  from  the  saddle." 

But  the  horse  walked  riderless  in  the  procession  that  left  the 
capitol  and  followed,  through  the  lanes  made  by  crowds  that  milled 
on  the  sidewalks,  the  body  of  Buffalo  Bill.  And  the  band  played 
no  lively  airs  that  the  old  scout  loved  and  thrilled  to — they  played 
the  sorrow-laden  marches  of  death.  It  was  Buffalo  Bill's  last  great 
triumph — and  he  knew  it  not. 

At  the  Elks'  Club  the  entire  front  of  the  auditorium  was  a  mass 
of  flowers — ^floral  tributes  from  every  state  in  the  Union,  from 
friends  Buffalo  Bill  had  made  in  every  walk  of  life.  Near  the 
casket  sat  Johnny  Baker,  head  bowed,  murmuring  tender  words 
he  wanted  Buffalo  Bill,  the  man  whom  he  loved  as  a  father  and  by 
whom  he  was  loved  as  a  son,  to  hear.  With  Johnny  Baker  sat  the 
widow  and  other  members  of  the  famous  old  plainsman's  family. 

When  the  casket  was  borne  into  the  flower-filled  room  at  the 


350  STORY  OF   THE  WILD   WEST. 

mortuary,  the  escort  and  such  of  his  friends  as  could  find  voice,  sang 
after  the  prayers  and  eulogies,  the  soft  trailing  notes  of  the  song 
that  Pahaska  loved,  * '  Tenting  Tonight  on  the  Old  Camp  Ground. ' ' 

As  the  song  was  sung  there  were  tears  in  the  eyes  of  strong  and 
rugged  men  who  remembered  the  melody  in  other  days ;  tears  for  the 
love  of  a  comrade  gone  to  the  land  of  the  setting  sun  into  the  Great 
Beyond. 

Three  organizations  took  part  in  the  services — ^the  Ladies  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and 
the  Elks.  A  flag  was  placed  on  the  breast  of  the  old  scout  by  Mrs. 
Fannie  D.  Hardin  of  the  Ladies  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
The  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  services  ended  with  the  sounding 
of  '*taps.''  John  W.  Springer  pronounced  the  eulogy  for  the 
Elks  and  Albert  U.  Mayfield,  supreme  boss  of  the  National  Order 
of  Cowboy  Rangers,  said  a  few  words  of  tribute. 

The  Rev.  Charles  H.  Marshall  of  the  St.  Barnabas  Episcopal 
Church  conducted  the  religious  services. 

And  then  the  casket  was  closed — ^the  picturesque  figure  of  Buffalo 
Bill  had  passed  from  the  view  of  men.  From  the  Elks'  Club  the 
body  was  taken  to  the  mortuary  of  George  W.  Olinger.  It  will 
rest  there  until  it  is  carried  to  the  final  resting  place — a  grave  that 
will  overlook  the  plains  he  loved  so  well — on  Lookout  Mountain. 
And  there  the  thousands  will  pass  year  after  year  and  pause  to  gaze 
at  the  statue  of  Buffalo  Bill  that  will  be  erected,  and  to  pay  tribute 
to  the  memory  of  a  man  who  helped  to  build  the  greatness  of  the 
West,  who  was  beloved  of  kings  and  presidents  and  of  little  children. 
It  will  be  a  fitting  place  for  the  body  of  Buffalo  Bill  to  lie  buried — 
where  the  world  can  continue  to  pay  its  tribute. 

Messages  of  sympathy  and  condolence  poured  in  upon  the  family 
from  all  parts  of  the  world.  It  is  thought  to  be  a  fitting  close  for 
the  autobiography  to  reprint  a  few  of  these  showing  the  high  esteem 
in  which  *' Buffalo  Bill"  was  held  as  a  man  and  friend. 

FROM   GEN.   NELSON   A.   MILES. 

''Colonel  Cody  was  a  high-minded  gentleman,  a  brave  American 
and  a  great  scout.     He  performed  a  great  work  in  the  West  for 


THE  END   OF   THE   TRAIL.  351 

the  pioneers  and  for  the  generations  coming  after  them,  and  his 
exploits  will  live  forever  in  history. ' ' 

FROM  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  CLUB. 

The  Rocky  Mountain  Club,  an  organization  of  former  Western 
men  now  living  in  the  East,  passed  the  following  resolutions : 

The  news  of  the  passing  away  of  our  fellow  member.  Col.  William 
P.  Cody,  brings  sorrow  to  all  of  us.  Colonel  Cody  was  the  one 
remaining  hero  of  all  time  whose  name  is  indelibly  entwined  in 
the  redemption  of  our  great  West  from  barbarism  and  savagery, 
making  it  the  hand-maiden  of  civilization  and  progress.  His  fame 
will  shine  in  history  in  lines  of  living  light  with  those  other  pioneer 
American  crusaders,  Daniel  Boone,  Davy  Crockett  and  Kit  Carson. 
He  was  gentle,  sincere,  brave,  loyal  and  manly,  and  the  world  is 
the  poorer  for  his  passing.  His  fellow  members  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tain Club  ask  you  to  present  to  his  widow  and  family  their  respectful 
homage  and  sympathy. 

FROM  A  BOY. 

''Mr.  Buffalo  Bill,  Denver,  Colo.:  Dear  Sir— My  grandpa  told 
me  this  morning  you  were  ready  to  start  for  the  happy  hunting 
grounds.  He  said  a  long  time  ago  they  had  perhaps  given  you  the 
end  of  a  golden  string  and  told  you  to  wind  it  into  a  ball  and  you 
had  it  most  all  winded  up  and  it  had  led  you  to  the  happy  hunting 
ground,  and  after  you  got  there  they  would  lock  the  gate  and  throw 
the  key  away,  as  you  were  the  last  one  they  had  been  waiting  for. 
Mr.  Buffalo  Bill,  I  want  to  go  to  the  happy  hunting  ground  too. 
It  looks  to  me  like  a  nicer  place  than  just  heaven  where  they  have 
only  gold  streets  and  harps  and  angels  and  things.  Mr.  Buffalo 
Bill,  will  you  please  take  the  key  and  hold  the  gate  and  make  room 
for  just  me ?  I  am  a  little  fellow  and  don't  take  much  room  nohow, 
and  I  will  come  as  soon  as  I  get  through  here.  Then  they  can  lock 
the  gate  and  throw  the  key  away  forever  and  ever. 

*' ROBERT  CURTISS  TALBOTT. 


352  STORY   OF   THE   WILD  WEST. 

FROM  THE  SONS  OF  COLORADO. 

Resolutions  in  memoriam  on  the  life,  character  and  death  of 
William  F.  Cody  (Buffalo  Bill)  were  adopted  by  the  Sons  of  Colo- 
rado as  follows : 

We,  the  Sons  of  Colorado,  in  annual  meeting  assembled  this  11th 
day  of  January,  1917,  being  mindful  of  the  passing  of  the  **01d 
West,'*  do  herewith  take  cognizance  of  the  death  of  our  boyhood 
friend  and  hero,  ''Buffalo  Bill,"  a  product  of  the  ''West  that  was." 

Where  men's  souls  were  tried  to  the  utmost,  where  women  suf- 
fered untold  tortures  and  privations,  Buffalo  Bill  had  kept  the 
memories  of  those  days  alive  as  no  other  could. 

By  his  death  the  West  loses  virtually  the  last  of  the  picturesque 
figures  of  those  times.  His  home  was  the  West.  No  state,  no  county, 
city  or  town  could  claim  him.    He  belonged  to  the  West. 

We  recognize,  as  will  history,  his  wonderful  life  and  activity  on 
the  frontiers  of  this  great  western  empire,  the  memory  of  which 
will  live  long  in  the  hearts  and  minds  of  men  of  every  nation  of 
this  earth. 

Be  it  resolved  that  we,  the  Sons  of  Colorado,  feela  sense  of  great 
loss,  that  our  old  friend,  Buffalo  Bill,  is  no  more. 

Be  it  further  resolved  that  these  resolutions  be  spread  upon  our 
minutes  and  that  a  copy  be  sent  to  the  bereaved  family. 

CHILDREN  SEND   IN   NICKELS  FOR   MONUMENT   TO   CODY. 

The  first  contribution  to  a  fund  for  the  building  of  a  monument 
to  Colonel  Cody  included  forty  buffalo  nickels  sent  by  the  pupils 
of  the  primary  and  grammar  grades  of  the  Maple  Grove  school, 
district  No.  69,  Arapahoe  county,  ' '  to  build  a  monument  to  Buffalo 
Bill." 

The  donation  was  brought  to  Denver  by  Principal  Robert  M. 
Jones,  who,  with  Orrie  M.  Heath,  teacher  in  the  primary  grade, 
collected  the  fund. 

The  subscription  was  received  by  a  committee  consisting  of  Cody 
Boles  of  North  Platte,  grandson  of  Colonel  Cody;  Judge  W.  L. 
Walls  and  Sen.  J.  M.  Schwoob  of  Cody ;  H.  R.  Weston  of  Laramie, 
and  Sam  F.  Button  of  Denver. 


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